


Open Doors

by TheFamousFireLadyM



Series: Frozen Hearts [1]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: ASOIAF was my inspiration, Amputation, Arranged Marriage, Dragons, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Foreshadowing, Hans is secretly a targaryen, I blame my friends, Loss of Limbs, Minor Character Death, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, OCs - Freeform, Original Character Death(s), Rough Sex, Sorry Not Sorry, UST, Unplanned Pregnancy, how many times can i describe ice, implied parent/child incest, lots of them - Freeform, moderate angst, political subterfuge, possible allusions to adventure time, redemption fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-18
Updated: 2014-02-06
Packaged: 2018-01-09 03:06:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 37,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1140707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFamousFireLadyM/pseuds/TheFamousFireLadyM
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Anna had asked her sister's blessing for marrying Kristoff, Elsa knew her baby sister had made a good choice. When she heard the news her sister was pregnant, the Queen was almost as ecstatic as the new parents. She was present for Gunter's birth, and refused to hold her nephew at first, afraid she would freeze him solid with her shaking pale hands. The tiny baby was born the first day of summer, a fitting day to be welcomed into the world. <br/>When Anna asked her to be Gunter's godmother, she already knew what Elsa's answer would be: An emphatic, if sharply squealed, yes. <br/>The time then came for the new baby to be christened, and Elsa was not nervous for the first time in ages. </p><p> </p><p>Too bad her happiness would be cut short by a few unexpected guests.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Celebration

The giddy excitement permeating the air was no less broken by the arrival of the nobles and royalty of the neighboring kingdoms. If anything, the air seemed to be buzzing with joy over the Princess's new child. The high council of Osasia, which was the largest country to the northeast, had traveled across the Northern Sea for a month just to be here for the baptism. They were all remarkably tall and of varying skin tones, both men and women, and all wore thick chains about their necks, from which dangled large pendants inscribed with esoteric symbols. 

 

The leader (Elsa presumed, since the bald priestess had the most pendants weighing down the chain about her neck) greeted her with a lofty smile and a gentle incline of the head. The rest of them followed suit, bowing deeply. 

 

"Your highness." The monk glances about. "A thousand pardons, but I must inquire about the whereabouts of your sister, the Princess. "  

 

Elsa lifted her hand to gesture to where Anna and Kristoff were standing, further in the crowd, where the infant swaddled in a pale blue blanket embroidered with tiny snowflakes was barely visible in her sister's arms. The tall monks departed, shiny bald heads visible towering over the rest of the crowd as the group parted to let the honored mendicants see Anna and the child. A few others passed Elsa by, and she extended her greeting to them as they ventured toward her sister. 

 

The Queen sighed, both relieved and feeling a little wary to not be the center of attention for once. A shiver went down her spine despite the warm room and Elsa felt as if something bad was going to happen. That was when she spotted a noble looking woman in red. And beside her—  Elsa inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling almost panicked. Fear for her sister and nephew flooded her senses. She had to turn away. Hide the fear. Keep it inside. At the same time, the duo approached her. 

 

A thickly accented voice called out, "Ah, your majesty. It is quite nice to meet you in person after all my son has said about you." 

 

Elsa did not have to look up to see the face of the tall woman who had addressed her. She had curtsied and so had the one beside her. Elsa had no choice but to return the gesture, feeling vulnerable as she exposed her neck to them. 

"I am sure you have met my son before, your grace." 

 

Elsa's expression hardened. "We've met."  

 

Hans bowed shallowly, taking the Queen's gloved hand. 

 

"You have not changed in the time I haven't seen you." He added a knowing smile, and brushed his lips against the top of her hand. Despite the glove, it was ice cold and frost gathered on his mouth in the split second it touched her, taking a moment to melt afterwards. He licked his lips, "My queen."  

 

"Prince Hans.." Elsa looked to the other Queen. "You must be—" 

 

"Queen Dowager Jekaterina." She offered her hand to Elsa. She did not accept it, instead bowing again. 

 

"I am sorry for your loss."  

 

Jekaterina let out a haughty laugh. "Of course," She turned to Hans, and  squeezed his chin in her hand, long red fingernails digging into his flesh. "My little boy is only another step closer to the throne." 

The prince gently shook off her touch and bowed once more. "I thought to offer my most humble apologies for the wrong I have done and have come to right whatever I have caused."  

 

Elsa bit her tongue to keep from commenting rudely, in case the Queen Dowager had a sharp wit to match her fingernails. 

 

"Your apology is misplaced. It's my sister you should be speaking to." She finally managed to coolly speak, gesturing to where Anna was kissing her husband fondly.  

 

Hans stiffened for a moment, realizing Anna had found someone she actually loved, before shifting uncomfortably. "I had attempted to kill the both of you, I should formally apologize to both of you."  

 

Jekaterina tutted softly, but does not comment. Elsa looked at her sideways for a moment, but the Dowager only flashed an enigmatic smile and slipped past her in a whirl of translucent crimson fabric, leaving Hans alone with her. The Queen tensed at the idea of the man who tried to kill her being so close. 

 

"You should have followed your mother." She managed to get out through clenched teeth, frost climbing up her sleeves, and along the edges of her skirt, and trailing across the floor where she stood.  

 

"Your sister wouldn't want to see me on such a happy day." Hans replied softly, his back to Elsa. He watched Anna smile to the crowd and Kristoff pull her closer, his hand very tenderly on her back. She could not see Hans' expression but if she had, she would have seen a kind of sadness as he followed every gesture Anna performed with his eyes.


	2. A Human Furnace

Elsa found herself distracted by how open her sister was in every way. The ground around her boots thawed as she watched Anna chat with each visitor, almost forgetting Hans was right beside her.   

 

"The celebration is supposed to last all week, isn't it?" Hans had finally turned back toward her. Elsa snapped out of her reverie, face heating at the fact she was so vulnerable for that one moment before she caught herself.  

 

"Y-yes. It is." Still too warm, she fanned herself with her hand. "Anna, of course, organized the whole thing." 

 

Hans had stepped closer. That had to be why she was so warm. The man was like a furnace. 

 

Fighting the urge to impale him on an icicle, Elsa walked away. "I need some air. I'm sure you can occupy yourself without bothering my sister. I believe you met her husband last time you were in Arendelle?"   
She found a tiny smile crossing her face as she stepped out the door, toward the courtyard and away from the furnace that was Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. 

 

The sun had gone down and it was blessedly cool for a summer evening.  The only sound was Elsa's shoes tapping on the cobblestone in the pale moonlight as she walked slowly and peacefully, breathing in the air that soothed her warm face. She closed her eyes and leaned against the rock wall that bordered the path, only to be disturbed by the sound of someone else's footsteps. 

 

Elsa turned sharply, to discover a certain Prince had followed her outside. However, he seemed unaware she was right in front of him, until he leaned against the rock wall beside her. 

 

"Nice night, isn't it?"  

 

The Queen turned from him, and looked up at the full moon. "Why are you making conversation? Haven't I made it clear I didn't want to have anything to do with you?" 

 

Hans remained with his back to hers. "Clearly, I'm the bigger person here since I've apologized and have not been forgiven."  

 

Elsa made a noise of utter indignation and disgust and turned to look at him. Hans faced her, as if he spun to do so the exact moment she had turned. 

 

"Do you really think I'm going to try to kill you again? You must be an idiot to believe that." His brow was furrowed, and he had bent forward to be face to face. 

 

Her hands were up before she had realized it and her ice magic acted of its own accord, sending a blast of freezing air to blow him back and sending him flying. It worked so much as causing his hair to frost over, little ice crystals gathered in it and glistening in the moonlight. His eyebrows and eyelashes were dusted with a fine white powder, but beyond that he had been unhurt. That is, until he toppled backwards and landed on his behind on the stone.  Elsa wasn't too concerned for his safety, but she didn't want anyone dying at this celebration so she offered her hand to help him up, knowing fully Hans would get a mild case of frostbite if he accepted. 

 

He did not take her hand, instead standing up on his own and running a hand through his hair to brush the snow free. "Are you always this stubborn?" 

 

Elsa tried to fight it but a laugh bubbled up her throat and she had to cover her mouth to keep from erupting into enough giggles fit for a young child. "You look ridiculous."  

 

Hans dusted off his shoulders as well, blithely adding. "I'm glad someone appreciates this." 

 

The Queen managed to recover her stern countenance, silently chastising herself over letting the monster beside her actually cause her to laugh.  

 

The musicians inside struck up a lively song, loud enough to be heard out in the courtyard. 

 

"May I have this dance?" Hans had bowed before her. 

 

Short of saying a blunt no, Elsa shook her head. "I don't dance. There's so many other guests you could ask." 

He took her hands anyway, and the shock sent ice crystals down her sleeves to encrust on both of their gloves. The last thing she wanted was to make a scene at this party in Anna's honor, so she put up with it. The ice crackled but remained as Hans pulled his hands from hers. Allowing him to place a frost covered gloved hand on her waist, Elsa slipped her own hand on his shoulder. She fought the urge, yet again, to freeze him solid.  

"I could see why my sister fell for you so quickly." Elsa refused to look at him directly as they slowly danced across the floor. 

 

"Thank you." He gave her a debonair grin, before realizing she wasn't looking at him. 

 

"That wasn't a compliment."  Elsa squeezed his hand harder, frost dancing up his sleeve to his collar and into his facial hair. Hans was unfazed, as if he had expected this. "You're too charming. It's suspicious."  

 

"You speak from experience." He glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the guests, including his mother. He held the Dowager's eyes for a moment before speaking in Elsa's ear. "If you had not known me, I thought you'd fall easily."  

 

Elsa met his gaze, her own expression steely. "I don't 'fall' for anyone." 

 

Hans chuckled softly. "Of course. I forgot, you're the Ice Queen. No one may penetrate your heart."  

 

She was silent for a moment before remarking in a tiny voice. "My sister is all I need." 

"I'm sure you've noticed. Your sister has a family of her own now." 

 

Elsa's gaze snapped to his. "Do you expect me to just let you talk to me like that?" 

 

Hans gave her a disarming smile, but she remained just as prickly as ever. "Oh, no, of course not, your grace." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listened to the entire Silent Hill 2 soundtrack on repeat as I wrote and edited this. If there's any discrepancies that you can see, I apologize, since this is only a fanwork and not an official published work. I do not own any part of Frozen, that belongs to Disney.


	3. Accidental Engagement

"I saw you dancing with him, Elsa. What was Hans doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be imprisoned?" Anna's voice sounded scared, like she was a little kid again, and not a new mother. 

 

Elsa looked at her expression with sorrow. "The Queen of the Southern Isles granted him a full pardon, and begs we do the same."  

 

"What? She can't do that! That isn't fair!" Anna was, of course, incredulous. Elsa didn't begrudge her sister that; she felt the same way.  

 

"By way of a formal apology, the Dowager Queen has ' _expressed interest in a marriage betwixt Arendelle and her kingdom'_ to ‘ _secure the future of both our kingdoms_ ‘." Elsa recited, quite disheartened as she read from the message she had received earlier. The messenger had just come from the Queen Dowager herself.  "She means for me to marry her eldest son, the future king." Elsa looked to her sister, biting her lip to keep from displaying unwanted emotion. 

 

Anna stared at her for a long moment. "That's one of Hans' brothers..."  

 

"I know." Elsa crumpled up the note, tossing it in the fireplace. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this." 

 

Anna's shoulders sagged just a little. "That would make him family."  

 

"I have to accept." Elsa watched the fire as she spoke. "There's no reason for me to decline." 

 

"No reason? Elsa, he tried to kill the both of us!"  

 

"Hans did, not his brothers or the rest of the Southern Isles. I shouldn't judge them all based on one person and risk losing a potential ally." Elsa tried to keep her voice even, only betraying the slightest of trembling in her voice. 

 

Anna looked up at her sister. "You really don't mean to go through with this, do you?"  Elsa didn't answer, as she left the room. 

 

She passed Kristoff in the hallway. He inclined his head, even after she told him he didn't have to bow, since he had married Anna, and went into the room she had just left, to be with his wife.  

 

Did she really want to do this? Marrying some stranger she knew nothing about; it was the same thing she had denied Anna, and now she was some kind of hypocrite for doing it now. But it was for the good of the kingdom, not some childish infatuation, and it wouldn't end up with a premature winter or the attempted murder of any of the royal family. At least she hoped so.  

 

Either way, Elsa had to pen a response, or she could visit the Dowager herself. She didn’t have the mental fortitude to go through seeing Hans again so soon, so it was down to writing a letter back. Just a few simple words that didn't mean anything out of context, if anyone else had seen the message. " _I accept your terms_."  

 

Before bed, Elsa sent the message with a servant, one of the newly hired ones she hadn't yet learned the name of. Not expecting an answer so soon, only an hour later, she jumped when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. Clamoring to be presentable, she slipped into a dressing gown over her bedclothes and opened the door just enough for her face to be seen. Instead of the familiar face of the servant, Sigurd, his name was, there was a Cheshire grin plastered across the one face she didn't want to see. 

"Good evening, your grace." Hans put his hand on the door to keep it from slamming in his face. On the opposite side, feathers of frost were beginning to spread along the door where Elsa's hands were. 

 

“Why are you even here?” Elsa attempted to force the door closed against his hand but was overpowered. 

 

“I’m sure you could guess.” Hans forced the door open further, causing the Queen to step back. The room was particularly chilly, and the frost on the door was not melting any time soon. Where her feet touched the floor, it froze near solid. “You were in bed, I assume. I apologize for waking you.” 

 

He stepped past the doorway nonchalantly, frost crunching beneath his boots as he looked around her room. Ice covered nearly every surface, as if it had slowly been spreading out since the christening, when her stress had just begun. 

 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Elsa found herself responding, as she backed up further, to give Hans more space, so she wasn’t so confoundedly close to the ridiculous heat he was producing in her freezing room. It was almost as if steam was coming off the rimed floor where he had stepped, the ice melting quickly when exposed to him. 

 

“That was sure to be my mother’s doing, then.” Hans glanced at the door, before shutting it. He then made a big show of not locking it, to put Elsa at ease. “She intends to have you in our family either way.” 

 

She frowned, turning away and clutching her dressing gown tighter to her, not out of cold but out of decency. The man had no right barging into her bedroom like this when she was not dressed. “Are you her new messenger then? Or are you here to warn me about your mother’s nefarious plot?” 

 

Hans chuckled, putting his hands on his hips. “I will admit, I may not have your best interest in mind, but I thought I’d tell you what you will be getting yourself into. My brothers.. Are not the princes of fairytale that your sister was so intent on marrying.”

 

“Neither are you, for that matter.” Elsa muttered, coldly, as she followed his movements the way a cornered animal would. 

 

“You wound me, your grace.” He smirked, clutching at where his heart would be beneath his flesh. 

 

“Would you rather I used something more physical?” She brandished her hands at him, fingernails growing long and clear like icicles. 

 

Hans shook his head, his tone mocking. “Couldn’t you figure out other ways to hurt me without resorting to your powers?” He turned on his heel, looking to the fireplace. “It’s much too cold in here. Are you afraid you might melt if you produced some heat?” 

 

Elsa made a disgruntled sound in the back of her throat. “Get on with whatever business you have for me. Must you comment on every single little detail of my life?” 

 

He swiveled and looked her right in the eye. “Don’t you think I should get to know my future wife?” 

 

Her eyes grew wide and all of the color drained out of her face, what remained was an almost impassive icy blue mask. “What?” 

 

“Oh wow. You really weren’t expecting this, were you?” The prince shook his head in feigned disbelief. “My mother only had one son. All of my brothers are only related to me through my father. ” 

 

Elsa was hyperventilating, as she tried hard to calm herself down. Icicles began bursting from the floor, where the tiny puddles had been from her other icy escapades, and started surrounding her. What had she gotten herself into? It was improper to break an engagement without proper reason, and Jekaterina would be furious or offended, no doubt , but this was Hans she was talking about. 

 

Then one thought entered her mind, and blasted through all the rest in a rush of cold, like rocks settling in the pit of Elsa’s stomach: How was she going to tell Anna?


	4. A Few Changes

As it turned out, Elsa didn't have to tell her sister. The banns had been announced at sunrise, by the Dowager Jekaterina's personal servants. No one would think to oppose the union, of course they wouldn't, except maybe Anna, but her sister was too busy with her son to bother, so Elsa knew there was no getting out of it.

The Queen was roused from bed at an early hour to attend the banns, before being whisked off to a wedding dress fitting. It was only the first day of a forced engagement, and here she was, trying on white gown after white gown. She could have been eating chocolate at her Nephew's Christening celebration, but no, she was here.

"You will not be wearing it until months from now, so try not to fret." Jekaterina attempted to soothe Elsa's nerves as she sat in on the fitting. "It isn't proper for two complete strangers to marry without becoming familiar with one another."

She turned to look at the Dowager, arms raised as the seamstress pinned the seams at her hips. "I am already familiar with him. He tried to destroy my family." Elsa hissed, trying not to freeze the delicate fabric she was swathed in, and thereby ruin it. The finished design was supposed to look like the dress she had constructed herself after her disastrous coronation. Supposed to was the key phrase. "Ow!" A pin pricked her (most definitely on purpose) and a flourish of feathered frost appeared on the fabric as part of her natural reaction to any particularly unwanted feeling. The fabric was unusable now. Elsa bit her lip. "Sorry, I.."

Jekaterina only smiled diligently, as if Elsa was a dumb monkey she was training. It made her skin crawl to be looked at like that. "It can be easily replaced, моя маленькая птица.."

Elsa looked down at the dress where the ice sparkled like rhinestones. "This wedding.. Is it going to be in the winter?"

The Dowager smiled that wretched way again. "птица, I like the way you think. You think my son will want to see you in an ice dress. You will look so beautiful."

Elsa hadn't thought of what, ugh, Hans would want to see her in, but the ice dress would be a huge confidence boost. She always felt at home in ice, and to those from the southern isles it would be something never before seen. Elsa's face heated. And if Hans didn't want her to show off her powers, then he would just have to get over it. He'd have to let it go. But if he had wanted her to use her powers just for this purpose to turn the people against her... She refused to finish that thought. Instead Elsa turned her attention to what would have to be done before the wedding. She wondered how she could put up with Hans, and what he had to be planning. She wondered how Anna felt about this whole arrangement. Elsa hoped her sister wasn't too worried about her. She could handle it herself. Before she got too lost in her own thoughts, the voice of the Queen Dowager called her back to the present.

"дочь, your husband will expect you to act as if you care greatly for him, do you understand?" Elsa couldn't respond for a moment. _My husband_. "I.. Yes." She bowed her head. "I understand."

"очень хорошо." Jekaterina stood, towering over Elsa even on the modeling stand she was perched on and patted her cheek sweetly. The Queen Dowager's hand felt too hot on her cold face. It felt wrong somehow, like it was an old hand attached to the dowager's too-young body, and it smelled too strongly of lilac mixed with the reek of bonfire. "Once you remove the dress you are wearing, you will be meeting your future brothers-in-law. Dress in your best, and go to Hans' room when you are finished. He will be expecting you, so don't be late."

Of course he was. Elsa bit her tongue to keep from speaking her mind, as the seamstress carefully and oh-so-slowly removed the ruined dress from off of her body. The room was hot from the fire blazing in the hearth and a headache had begun from the heat surrounding her alongside the muggy summer air. It was as if time itself slowed. She felt as if she could barely breathe. How could the dowager stand it?

 

"Mother, I couldn't do it." Hans was holding an ancient looking dagger in two shaking hands. "He's my brother, I can't–!"

Jekaterina slapped him across the face, long scarlet nails leaving four gouged tracks along his cheek that soon filled in with red. He cried out, clasping his hands to the bloody wound his mother just created and dropping the blade at her feet. бесполезно ублюдок!" She hissed, scooping up the blade. "I should have done it with my own hands! Do you want to be king or not?!"

Only a moment later, her volcanic temper had cooled just as fast as it had raged and the Dowager deposited the knife away safely, she was back to cooing soft nothings to him, and stroking her baby boy's hair like it was nothing. "Did I hurt you, my darling? Shall I fetch a servant to clean and dress your wounds?"

"Leave me be, mother." Hans ground out through his teeth, trying to staunch the flow of blood with his fingers as it begun to leak through them, and drip onto the floor, while swatting at the Dowager as if she was a harmless fly and not capable of destroying everything he held dear. She didn't mind, too busy licking her fingernails clean of her son's blood and crooning softly to him. Hans shoved her off harder, and in the split second of time he had, stormed out of the room in a fury.

 

Elsa found her betrothed (oh how she hated thinking of him like that) twenty minutes later in his chambers, a tainted bowl of steaming water and a bloody rag on the bed beside him. Hans had a large bandage sloppily pressed to his cheek, and she could see blood soaking through it. "What happened to you?"

"Does it matter?" His tone was tense, and Elsa hadn't noticed it until she stepped mincingly closer, but he was trembling. "It was just a.." he opened his mouth to finish his sentence, then closed it for a moment before finishing. "One of your people, who happened to remember the coronation too well."

It was a bald faced lie but Elsa didn't need to know that. She took it as truth anyway. "You deserved it." She exhaled, before sitting on the bed beside him. "What would the people say if you went out looking like this? They would think a monster attacked you."

Hans winced. "A monster known as my wife, you mean."

Elsa was about to strike him, but instead she dipped the rag in the water, and it cooled almost instantly, ice forming on its surface. She touched the frozen rag to his raw flesh to clean the spots he missed and he inhaled sharply before letting out a cry like a small child.

"Quiet." Elsa finished, palm gentle against his uninjured cheek as she turned the wound toward her and pressed clean rolled bandages to the deep gouges, to stop the bleeding and covering it all with another bandage. Elsa tied it neatly, securing it in place. "There." She sighed, almost reluctant in letting her hand drop from his face. "Now I could be seen in public with you. It only looks like a flesh wound."

Hans scoffed and replied sarcastically. "Gee, thank you. I couldn't have done it without your help."

Elsa's brow furrowed. "I didn't have to help you."

Hans frowned back at her. "But you did. And if you're expecting anything in return, you're sorely mistaken."

She clenched her fists to keep from slapping him as hard as she could, frost bursting from her sleeves and cascading up her arms in spirals, and down her legs and onto the floor, making icy spots around her. "You are the most pig headed, insufferable, arrogant man I've ever met."

"All I heard was the pot calling the kettle black." Hans began to provoke her.

"I should have put you to death when we stopped you." Elsa's tone was stone cold, and deadly.

"You should have." Hans agreed, picking up the icy bowl.

"What?" The queen stopped short, staring at him, blood running cold. Well, colder than usual.

"I'd gladly face death compared to being married to you."

"Oh, you self centered—"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion right at that moment.

Hans stepped toward her, grinning, about to say another inane comment, and accidentally skidded across a tiny patch of ice, sending the bowl of water into the air and the prince careening into her. The freezing water splashed down on Elsa mostly, Hans protected by the fact his face was buried against her upper torso, right beneath her breasts.

When Elsa realized what had happened, she was flat on her back in a pool of cold water, with a large man pinning her legs down with his own body. "What are you doing? Get off of me."

Hans sat up, an arm on either side of her, meeting Elsa's gaze. "Good thing you cushioned my fall with your body. I guess you're worth something after all."Her hands found their way to his upper arms, barely visible where the sleeves had been rolled up. Frost climbed across his bare skin and he shivered.

Elsa attempted to sit up, but only managed to pull the prince closer. Since he refused to move, possibly for fear of falling on ice again and making a fool of himself, which Elsa knew to be a waste of time since he was already the biggest fool she had ever met, she was stuck in the puddle. It was soaking into the thick cloth of her dress, and she knew it would probably ruin it. "You owe me a new dress."

"Would this make it any better?" He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. Elsa's ice fought back; the prince's lips freezing, but the queen pulled back before any real damage could be done.

"No. You now owe me a new dress and need to get off of me." Elsa deadpanned. "Right now." Her face was too warm, despite the water now turning to ice against her back.

For once in his life, Hans obeyed, pulling back and fixing his sleeves, probably fearing what the Queen would do to him if he just laid like that for a moment longer. He shouldn't have thought of that.. _Elsa.._

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he swung his jacket over his shoulder to put it on.

He recovered soon enough, offering his arm to Elsa. "Shall we meet my brothers then?"

She put one hand on his elbow. A thin coating of frost spread from where her fingers rested. It was her best compromise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> моя маленькая птица-(moya malen'kaya ptitsa) - my little bird
> 
> птица - (ptitsa) bird
> 
> дочь(Doich) - Daughter
> 
> очень хорошо(ochen' khorosho) - very good
> 
> бесполезно ублюдок (bespolezno ublyudok) - useless bastard


	5. A Mystery Unravels

"This is Hjalmerr." Hans gestured to his eldest brother, a robust bearded redheaded man that towered over both of them. 

He bowed deeply. " Your grace." 

Beside him was a waifish slip of a woman, whose white blonde hair was pulled back into a bun so tight it looked painful. Other than that, she had a kind face and faint laugh lines. 

"I am Sofia, your grace. These are our daughters. Katja," Sofia curtsied low, and her daughter followed suit almost exactly, she gestured to a plump but cheery looking sixteen year old with golden curls, "and Rosa." She laid a hand on the top of the younger child's flaming red hair when she did not curtsy. 

Elsa curtsied carefully in response. "It is nice to meet you both." 

"Nice, hm? Little brother, you shouldn't have lied to her." Hjalmerr looked to Hans with a jovial grin. 

His wife placed a hand on his, and spoke almost warningly. "Helmi, be kind to him!" 

"My love, I was only kidding, he knows that." He pressed his fingers over Sofia's with his free hand. "Right, brother?"  

Hans looked as if he did not appreciate the joke but was trying to pretend he did. "Of course. Of course. My apologies, Elsa. My brothers will find any reason to tease me endlessly." He guided her down the line. 

"Next is Karstjen." The man in question was a stern tanned man, who looked as if he never smiled. He had dark auburn hair slicked back to reveal his severe widows peak and flinty eyes. Elsa found herself wondering if he had killed anyone, and if he could be trusted. Karstjen bowed low with military precision. "My queen, my sword is yours for as long as you are a part of this family." 

She still wasn’t sure how much to trust him, but the words put her at ease. Hans, not so much.  Not saying a word, he led her down the line. 

"Magne." Hans said, to both Elsa and his blonde unshaven brother who was distracted, looking about him, as if to pretend he wasn't even there. "The less said about him, the better." 

"And you're one to talk, boy!" Magne leaned in to meet Elsa's eyes, peering into hers with his bloodshot black ones. "I don't doubt he forced you into this." He smelled unwashed, like cheap liquor. Elsa stared back, unwilling to speak. The drunkard cleared his throat noisily with a disgusting sound, right in her face. "My baby brother is a shifty one."  

"Quiet, Magne. Do you think to get her to trust you, so she can have a swift tumble down the stairs like your wife?" Hans hand clenched into a fist at the Queen's back. Magne glared at his youngest brother. 

There was a space between Magne and Hans' next brother that was, presumably, supposed to be filled by another person. 

"Where is Lewo?" His eyes narrowed, glancing around. The coward was never where he was supposed to be. 

One of the guards spoke up. "Prince Lewo has not been seen since this morning, my liege." 

Hans sighed. "Blasted craven. Introduction to him will have to wait.”

Oskar was next. He was a well-built redhead with a brilliant smile and long hair. Hans hated him the most. He had regaled her with a flourish and a bow, and Elsa found herself trusting him easily. He had a relaxed way about him that was easy to like. "Your grace." Oskar kissed her hand for a long moment, and Elsa's face grew warm. 

"Enough." Hans ground out, sounding almost jealous as he placed both hands on either side of her shoulders and moved her along to the next man.  

"This is Niklaus." Hans' expression was impassive, but his time of voice revealed a kind of respect. 

"Minister Niklaus, please. And you'll forgive me for not bowing." Hans' white haired brother, who wore the white collar of a priest, placed a hand to his own thigh, which looked withered within its pant leg. 

"A bad leg." His weathered face seemed to be prematurely aged, as if he had witnessed and withstood countless horrors at the hands of his family, which could have been why Hans sounded so reverent of him. 

Elsa curtsied out of respect.  

"Osvald and Rejner." Hans held his hand out to gesture to both of them, his tone mildly disgusted. Osvald looked like a younger, less miserable, Niklaus, though with a scar across his face that looked quite old. 

"He's Niklaus' twin," Hans explained, "and the bane of my existence." 

Osvald winked to Elsa, instead of bowing, and smirked, feigning seriousness, but it came off as sarcasm. "I love you too, baby brother." 

Rejner, who was a blonde, was too busy making kissy faces to his statuesque, if appearing to be emotionless, dark skinned wife to even look at Elsa and Hans. 

"He was married not too long ago." 

She swallowed hard, hoping he wouldn’t expect her to respond to that kind of thing.  

"And finally, Stanislaw, Tjalff, and Vendel." Stanislaw had dark hair coiffed into a pompadour, and stood stiffly. "Your majesty." 

Vendel bowed very low to the ground, his white hair in a thin braid down his neck, before looking up at Elsa with red eyes. She had never seen anything like that before, but offered her hand to him. "My queen." He clasped her hand in both of his, milky skin remarkably warm. His hands were sweaty. 

While that was happening, Hans looked around. "Tjalff is missing too? Did they all run to a brothel?" He sounded more annoyed than anything else. 

Elsa silently counted his brothers. He had said he had twelve. She only counted eleven, including the ones who had vanished. "Shouldn't there be twelve?" 

"Thirteen, actually. Not counting me." Hans looked down the line. "There's Diederik and Meinhard. Diederik died when I was a baby, and I've never met Meinhard. He ran away from home after Diederik.." 

Elsa watched his expression. "Oh."  

"I never knew either of them so it doesn't matter." 

"They're still your family." 

Hans shook his head. "How can I consider them family if I'd never met them? Meinhard doesn't want any thing to do with us."  

 

Jekaterina had gone unseen the entire rest of the day until just after nightfall. Hans had walked in on her washing her hands free of blood. She was licking it off like a cat. 

His own blood ran cold at the sight as he stopped short. "Whose blood is that?"  

The dowager gave him a cryptic smile. "You have two less brothers now." 

Hans felt weak for a moment, staring at the blood on her hands. "Mother..." 

"They will never pretend they cannot see you ever again." 

His mouth ran dry. He then realized where Tjallf and Lewo had been. 

Jekaterina stared at him, seething, her face white and nostrils flaring. "Ungrateful!" She wrenched the blade beside her at his feet where it skittered to a stop beneath his boot.  

"How could you kill Lewo and Tjalff?! They weren't hurting anyone. Those weren't even the ones who would tease me about that!" He could still remember it. Tjalff would be teased as well, for his white hair and red eyes. Tjalff was the one who insisted he could always see him, even when all his other brothers pretended not to be able to. And Lewo was just a coward and went along with everyone else, but he never outright said anything mean to him. 

Hans let out an anguished cry and covered his face. "I didn't want my brothers to be killed!"  

"Just your bride then, hm?" Jekaterina slipped past him, placing her hands on his cheeks to lift his face. "You had no trouble when it was the Queen of Arrendelle you were going to murder, my son." 

Hans flinched from her gaze at first, before slowly raising his green eyes to meet her gray ones. "I regret that. You know I do." He tried to turn away from her again, but she held him tight. "I'm not built for murder."  

"Coward." Jekaterina hissed, fingernails digging into the smooth flesh of his face. "Are you really less than I?" 

Hans lowered his gaze. "I guess I am." 

 

Anna was the one to come across the bodies first. 

She screamed loud enough to be heard through the entire castle, and Kristoff came running. She was sobbing, as he cupped her face in his hands, kissing her forehead and cheeks. 

"It's okay.. They're not going to hurt you." Kristoff stroked her cheek, wiping her tears. All while side eyeing the corpses, which had been stacked like firewood in an armoire. They had tumbled out when Anna was fetching a blanket for Gunter and she obviously screamed to bring the house down.  

Anna, still trembling, looked up at her husband with wide eyes. "Get Elsa." 

"You're coming with me then. I don't want you alone with these." Kristoff held her close as they went to find the Queen. 

"Elsa!" Anna called out as soon as they approached her, running to her sister and hugging her tight. "There's bodies. They fell out of the cabinet." 

Elsa looked her over. "Are you hurt?" 

"N-no! I-I think someone killed them." 

Someone. The unspoken name between them that meant Hans. It had to be him, no one else would go that far. 


	6. Prisoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own a bit of this. I don't own Frozen, I don't work at Disney, and never have. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

The guards that had come at the sound of Anna's scream stood at attention, awaiting the Queen's next orders.

Elsa took a deep breath and held her head high. "Take two men and collect the bodies my sister found. The rest of you, bring Prince Hans of the Southern Isles into my custody. He's suspected of murder."

She dismissed them, before slumping downward just a little, hands clenched into fists. "I can't believe he would try this right under our noses."

Anna's voice was quiet. "He's tried to gain the throne before. This might be one of his new plans." Elsa didn't have an answer to that.

Hans was soon dragged in anyway, so she hadn't needed to respond. He looked disheveled, and as if he put up a fight before giving up and hanging limp in the grip of the guards who held his arms, feet dragging. There were dark circles under his eyes and the bandage on his face was gone, leaving four red almost infected looking deeply gouged lines raked across his cheek.

"Let go of me." Hans managed to spit, head hanging low. "Damn you, let go of me!" He looked up at Elsa, eyes bloodshot and hair messy. "How dare you do this!"

The Queen looked down at him coldly. "Release him." The guards stared at her. "I said, release him."

Hans collapsed to the ground, roughly banging his knees, pressing his shackled arms to his face, in a defeated position.

"Leave us."

The guards slowly filtered out, lingering by the door in case something happened or Hans tried to hurt her. "Anna, Kristoff. You too. Please. I can handle him on my own."

Anna began to protest, but her sister silenced her with a look. "You've had enough stress for today."

She hung her head, and took Kristoff's hand, pulling him along behind her, as they left, Anna refusing to look back at her sister.

Once she was alone with the prince, Elsa crouched to see his face. Upon closer inspection, he was trembling.

"Do you know why I had my guards bring you in here?"

Hans didn't lift his head, his voice weak. "I heard Anna scream. I wasn't involved, I don't know."

"Liar!" Elsa sent a blast of ice toward his face. It froze his hair near solid, and knocked his head back almost hard enough to snap his neck.

Hans finally lifted his head. "Why don't you kill me already? I know you want to. Whatever imaginary treason you're thinking I've committed, I'm going to deny. I have no idea what you're talking about."

She slapped him across his injured cheek hard, and he gasped in pain, fingers writhing within his hands' confines.

"We've uncovered bodies. They were stabbed and drained of blood. What are you planning? Tell me!"

He started to laugh, spitting blood from where his lip had split from the force. "And you think it's me who killed them? How on earth do you know this?"

"Both of them bear some resemblance to you."

That got his attention, as Hans stared up at her, hair hanging in his eyes. "Lewo and Tjalff... You found their bodies, I'm assuming. One has hair like yours, and the other is blonde?"

"Yes. Your half-brothers?"

"Yes... I didn't think anyone would find them."

Elsa narrowed her eyes, searching his expression.

"Can I see them?"

"Why?"

"They're my brothers, do I even need a reason? If Anna had died, wouldn't you want to see her body?"

Elsa stiffened, and looked away.

Hans knew he had gotten to her. "Let me see my brothers."

He leaned forward, looking up at her.

"Tell me first. Did you kill them? Honestly." The Queen brushed her fingertips against his jaw, letting ice crystals gather on his skin, and his bloody lip began to freeze.

"They're my brothers. I wouldn't do that to them." His teeth had begun to chatter as his lips turned blue.

"Why do I doubt that?" She grabbed his chin in her hand, nails freezing his skin. "You had no qualms trying to kill me or my sister. Why are your brothers so different?"

His teeth chattered hard enough that he could barely get the words out. "B-b-because I loved t-t-t-them!"

Elsa pulled back, watching him attempt to regain feeling in his face with hands that were growing numb from being tied together. "I didn't think a monster like you could love."

"I could say the same for you." He closes his eyes, rolling his head back and breathing hard through his bloody teeth. His breath was steaming in the swiftly freezing room.

"I love Anna. I love my people, my kingdom."

Hans opened his eyes halfway and scoffed. "And your husband, or at least you should."

She turned his face in her hand to look at him, "Are you attempting to appeal to me to untie you or something? because it isn't going to work."

"I didn't think so." Hans covered her hand with both of his tied ones.

Elsa didn't flinch from his touch. Hans' fingers were already turning blue at the tips from loss of circulation. "If I'm being arrested for treason, can I get a last kiss?"

"I thought you didn't believe in true love."

"I don't. But this isn't love. I'm just asking for a beautiful girl to kiss me."

Elsa stared, face growing pink. "Flattery isn't going to get you your brothers back. The bodies have been sent off by ship back to the Southern Isles."

Hans cursed under his breath. "I'll be lucky enough to just see them in the family mausoleum if I get out of here alive."

"Do you have any doubts to your innocence then?"

"No. I know I didn't kill them. How could I when I was with you the whole day yesterday. That had to have been when they were killed since they weren't there for you to meet them."

Elsa leaned in close enough for the tips of their noses to touch, Hans' breath still a cloud billowing from his mouth.

"Do you know who did it then?"

He pressed his lips to hers, and she actually let him.

"Is that enough of a no for you?"

Elsa touched her lips, where a dab of his blood still remained, smeared like lipstick. "Are you going to always try to distract me like that?"

"Only if you like it."

That got him another slap and his ear turned blue, matching his fingers.


	7. Infection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, or work for Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Elsa left Hans to stew in his own thoughts in the dungeon for the rest of the day, and the night, and then the day after that. They were supposed to be planning the wedding, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen any time soon. Despite what the Dowager insisted when she discovered Elsa locked up her betrothed on suspicion of murder.

She had lied. His brothers' bodies hadn't been shipped out; instead, they were being embalmed by the finest morticians in Arendelle. No reason to send home smelling corpses, was there?

Anna found herself being confined away from her sister more and more, as Elsa was worried Hans, or even one of his brothers, would try something. The prince was locked up tightly either way, so if any other murders occurred, it would be a sure sign of innocence. Good luck for Hans but bad luck for the rest of the castle.

Regardless, Jekaterina wheedled her way into getting Elsa to visit her son down in the cold dungeon. It was summer, but still, water froze quickly in the dark cold cell. Hans' more royal garb had been taken from him and searched for any sign of blood or evidence. None of which was found. Instead, he was wearing a moderately soft blue cotton shift with sleeves that left most of his arms bare and thin trousers that came up three inches too short. His boots and socks had been taken from him, and he was left to the cold that way, barefoot.

Hans was shivering, hands gripping the bars of the room that held him captive. The fingertips were still blue, and his face, as well as the rest of his exposed flesh, was flushed from the cold, except for where his cheek was marred by the badly healing scrapes. There it was puffy and a burning dark red. Definitely infected. Not only that, but his lips were cracked and dried, or was it frozen, blood had dribbled down his chin; He looked a mess and most definitely felt it.

"Are you here to rub my misery in my face, Elsa?" He managed to croak out, in a voice hoarse from screaming to garner attention from the guards stationed outside.

"Your mother actually wished for me to check on you." She crouched to be at eye level with him. "I believe she thinks you'll confess if I visited you and spoke to you face to face."

A sound erupted from Hans' mouth that took Elsa a second to realize was laughter. "She thinks I will confess?" he shook his head. "Ridiculous. She has to know I didn't kill my siblings. What kind of monster would permanently incapacitate their family?" Hans looked pointedly at Elsa, implying it was a jab at her and Anna.

"I was going to release you, but I don't think I will now." That horrid noise occurred again.

"Leave me alone then. I have some wonderful thoughts to keep me warm. Like getting a kiss from a beautiful girl right before I'm put to death." He glanced at Elsa out of the corner of his eye. "No chance of that happening, right?"

Elsa looked down at the rough cobblestone floor. "No one is even considering death as an option for you. But I'm glad you're considering it yourself." She stood up.

Hans made a grab for her taupe skirt and held on with bitter strength. "There's going to be more murders, and more of my family is going to die, and I'll be in this damned cage and you'll be out of a suspect. I hope you realize that."

Elsa literally kicked his wrist away, aiming for his frost bitten fingers. He yelled, voice strained, and clutched at his wounded hand with his other. "My guards will be more than capable of handling it."

Speaking of guards, one of the sprightlier ones just ran into the room. "My queen, there's been another murder. This one looks far too fresh to be anything but new."

Hans tilted his head back, and maintained eye contact as if to say I told you so, and leaned back against the flat slat of cot he had as a bed.

Elsa, of course, went to the body along with the guard, leaving Hans to rot in that cell. One of the bodies she recognized more than the other. "Kai.. Oh no.." The other body she knew as Hans' older brother, Karstjen or whatever his name was. Elsa stood, turning away from them to fight the roiling tide of nausea that struck her. "Move the bodies. I don't want my sister or her husband seeing them." The guards would take care of it, she knew they would.

So it was time for her to visit her least favorite person once more. He was right, after all.

"You didn't kill your brothers, but that doesn't mean you aren't guilty of anything else. I believe you know who did it, and so from now on, you're under house arrest until you tell me. Do you understand? You are not to leave the castle grounds unless accompanied by several guards."

"Right. And I suspect you'll want me to be as close to you as possible without making the beast with two backs, am I right on the nose?"

Elsa's face flushed in the cool darkness of the dungeon. "Don't be obscene. You know as well as I do, I only trust you about as much as I can throw you."

"I don't know, Elsa, you could throw me far enough if you tried."

"I am your queen and you will address me as such." She muttered, embarrassed.

"Of course, my queen. My dove. Light of my life." Oh, now he was just messing with her.

"Shut up or I'll have your tongue cut off next."

Hans easily met her gaze, unflinching. "I'd rather it be my hands. They ache something terrible." He wrung them, rubbing the cyanotic flesh with his fingertips. "Perhaps you should release me from this cell. Or maybe you could join me in here. It would be warmer, even if you're the Snow Queen."

Elsa just stared. "Are you attempting to be suave or something?"

Hans waved his hand dismissively. "You'll have to forgive me, my brain is addled from hunger. I've not eaten anything in days. The guards haven't even brought water."

She looked to the bowl and tray beside the cell door. "What's this?"

"Rotted scraps of leather and a bowl of ice. They think they are being clever." He snapped, leaning his too-warm face (most likely from fever, Elsa surmised) against the cold bars. "If you're not going to spring me, bring me a haunch of beef and the biggest barrel of wine you have. I'd rather be drunk and cold in your company than sober and cold."

She unlocked the cell door anyway, ignoring his jibes. "Are you sure you haven't taken ill?"

"We from the Southern Isles are made of stronger stuff." Hans replied proudly, before wobbling out of the cell, barely able to stand upright let alone walk unassisted.

"Give me your arm." When Hans did not obey, Elsa took his arm and slung it over her shoulder, helping him to walk. The Queen didn't trust any servant to help him, since the whole castle knew he was a traitor and wouldn't think twice before sticking a knife between his ribs. Elsa needed him alive, to help solve this damned mystery. He was too ill to attempt to hurt her anyway.

She got a good look at the frostbite he had on his ear. Being exposed to the cold like that had turned the blue to a dull lifeless black. "This would be the best time to tell me how you really got those scratches on your face. It's infected, and to treat it, they need to know what could have gotten into it."

Hans just shook his head, too exhausted and completely drained to walk and talk at the same time. "You don't want to know."

Elsa stopped, turning to look at him. "Why not?"

"My mother—" He grimaced and nearly collapsed, unable to say anymore.

Elsa had to hoist him upright, hands under his arms. Hans was burning up, and upon closer inspection, under all the dirt and grime of being in that cell, and the five o clock shadow, was angry red streaks leading from his wound down his flesh. The infection was spreading. She couldn't carry him without help, his dead weight was too heavy.

"Guards! Somebody!" Elsa yelled, voice cracking just a little as she attempted to carry Hans as best she could. "You need to wake up. Please."

His voice was weak. "The queen is finally begging me for something, hm?" Hans sounded half-delirious, eyelids fluttering.

"I can't carry you, and you'll die if we don't get you treated."

He smirked, only one half of his mouth tilting upward. The other side was puffy and red from the infection coursing through his face, paralyzed from it. "Let me die then. One last loose end to be tied for you." He coughed, spat over his shoulder, and opened one eye. "No more engagement. No more treason to be worried about."

"Damn you, Hans.. Guards! To me!" The person who rushed down the hall to her was not one of her guards. The large bearded redhead bowed shallowly to the queen, before looking his brother over.

"He's ill.."

"I can see that, my queen." He had picked Hans up easily. He looked like a rag doll in his brother's capable arms.

"Thank you.." she couldn't recall his name.

"Hjalmerr."

Oh.

"Thank you, Hjalmerr."

Hans tossed his head to the side, hair sticking to his forehead. "Father?"

Elsa laid her hand against his head, feeling the heat radiate from him like a bonfire. She exhaled, letting frost from her fingertips spread to cool his skin.

"He's delirious. Let's bring him to my chambers. I can treat him if you'll follow me."

They laid him down on her cool bed. Hans let out a sigh, lying there unmoving.

"I can treat him myself." Elsa glanced over her shoulder at Hjalmerr. "You may wait outside the door, if you so choose."

He was worried about his baby brother, she could see it in his face. Despite what Hans has believed, Hjalmerr definitely cared.

"I'll be able to make him better." I hope, went unspoken. Hjalmerr nodded, and shut the door. Elsa locked it as soon as he did, before crossing the room back to her bed. "This is going to hurt." Hans didn't respond, or even stir. She fumbled for a pair of scissors, coming up empty. Instead, she made a sharp icicle knife and cut his shirt open, revealing his shoulder and chest, to where the red streaks had traveled. Once they reached his heart, she knew it was over. Elsa put her shaking hands on his heated flesh. They were ice cold, and Hans started before relaxing again, the freezing sensation pleasant against his fevered skin. She breathed out slowly, concentrating hard to purge the poison from his blood and cool his burning body.

He arched up hard, feet drumming against the bed as steam erupted from his pores. Hans let out a sharp cry of pain, and Hjalmerr had to have heard it, because he started banging on the door and trying to open it, only to find it was locked. Elsa looked at the door, silently hoping it stayed shut before turning her attention back to the man before her. He had stopped writhing and was just lying there, recovering from the intense blood cleansing he had gone through. The worst was over now. She just hoped he'd be well enough to wake again.

Elsa wobbled away from the bed and collapsed, exhausted, into a chair she had placed in front of her fireplace. She must have fallen asleep, because when she awoke, the sun had gone down, and Hans was sleeping. Someone had changed his clothes, and gave him a good washing, and rebandaged his cheek. New bandages covered his hands, where the frostbite had gotten the worst, and his ear, also due to frostbite. He looked particularly pale after that hectic episode, but nonetheless healthy.

She sat up straight, jolting upright, looking to the door. It was open, and no guards were posted. Keeping silent, she crept past the bed. Holding her breath to make sure Hans remained asleep, since she didn't want to deal with him right now, Elsa looked out the hallway. At the end of the hallway, Hans' brother was speaking to Gerda. They turned to see her looking at them.

"Queen Elsa, you're awake." Gerda rushed to her side.

The sound in the doorway caused Hans to stir, as he roused himself to sit, painfully clenching and unclenching his bandaged fingers. The blanket fell to his waist, revealing his pale chest dotted with many many freckles and a few scars from past fights.

"Elsa?" He called out to her.

She turned sharply, not expecting him to be awake. Hjalmerr and Gerda also flew to his bedside. Gerda, of course, was fretting like a mother hen, despite the grief she was going through. Hjalmerr had a cup of water and was tilting it slowly to his lips so his brother could drink.

Elsa stood at the foot of the bed. "I'm glad to see I didn't end up killing you."

"I never thought I'd be glad to wake up in your bed." Hans gave her a weak smirk.

"What a charmer." She replied, the smile that was beginning to show, dropping completely from her lips. "You should be glad you woke up at all."

Hans touched the bandage on his cheek, and then examined the flawless bandaging on his hand. "Did you do all this?"

Elsa shook her head. "I had nothing to do with this."

"It was me. The servants helped." Hjalmerr met his brother's gaze. "I let the Queen rest, after she removed the infection from your blood."

Hans' eyes grew wider and he turned to look at his bride. "I didn't know you could do that."

Elsa raised her hands and let them drop in a shrug. She knew she wouldn't get a thank you, so she steeled herself for a witty response. None came. Hans was too busy hydrating himself, gulping down water fast enough to make himself sick.

"Thank you." That one came from Hjalmerr. "I know he's done wrong to you and yours, but you saved his life. And for that I thank you."

Elsa lifted her head high. "He will be a help in discovering who committed these acts of treason."

Hans inhaled sharply in front of her. "'Takes one to know one', is it?"

She stiffened. "The royal family of Arendelle pardoned you when I accepted our engagement."

He sighed and laid back; "Right."

She watched him close his eyes and feign resting.

Did she really only heal him to stop the murders from occurring? Or was there another motive behind her actions?

Elsa felt her face heating as she finally realized his shirt had been removed, and only bare pale skin remained. What was she doing? Hans was ill, for pity's sake.


	8. A Slow Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, I don't work at Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

When Hans was well enough to actually stand on his own, he still had a limp. Apparently, being down in the cold wet dungeon gave him a bad case of frostbite. The same went for both of his hands. Loss of circulation from the bindings being too tight aggravated it, and he could barely move his fingers. He would probably have had to lose the tips of a few of them, down to the first knuckle was all black and cold. However, his feet weren't going to be lost. He had breathed a sigh of relief when both Gerta and Elsa had examined his feet, along with Niklaus, who had a fair amount of medical knowledge from the Monastery he had learned in.

The prince was also back to his regular slippery self as well. Most of the time, at least. Elsa had come to see him, when he had first begun to really recover. It wasn't so much the recovery that bothered him, so much as the fact that he wasn't allowed to leave the room without either a guard or the Queen herself. Hans secretly didn't hate it as much as he let on, but Elsa didn't realize it. Especially since the Dowager was not allowed to see her son. Hans had begun to resent her for destroying his family.

"Look at this." Hans wriggled his fingers at her. He could actually move them more now, since he'd been out of the cold as much as possible.

"Look at it this way, you have a new appreciation for the number eight." Elsa found a small smile crossing her lips at his misfortune. "You're lucky to be alive."

"I have just enough fingers to count my remaining brothers." Hans spit, clenching his hands into fists.

Elsa sniffed, lifting her head almost condescendingly and looking away, attempting to be impassive, but failing so she wasn't able to meet his gaze. "So you do."

There was also a lock of his hair that had lost all color, becoming white like snow, but other than that and the gouges on his face that were healing into scars, he was far healthier than he'd been in ages. Looking into a hand mirror, he was playing with the one piece that hung in his eyes. "You've just about completely changed the way I look, Elsa."

She was seated beside him, close enough to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble, but just far enough apart from him that she'd be comfortable. Hans, however, looked stricken that she was even near him. The woman had cost him half an ear, two fingers and his good looks, and now he was indebted to her for not killing him, what was it, quite a few times now. And that was just in the past two weeks.

"Are you complaining that I saved your life?" She looked at him, unable to take him seriously. "After everything I've done for you?"

He shifted in his seat, setting down the mirror. "You've turned me into a freak."

"Good." Elsa stood, crossing the room. "Now, do you feel well enough to tell me everything you and your family was planning, as far as you know?"

Hans' expression twisted and he furrowed his brow. "You aren't going to drop that, are you? I've told you all I know!" He slammed his still healing fist down on the arm of his armchair, causing his stitches to split and blood to start staining the bandages. That made him freeze, feeling the sharp pain go up his arm, as he cradled his hand in his uninjured one.

"So you've said." Elsa finally held his gaze. "But there are still questions to be answered."

Hans scoffed and muttered obscenities under his breath. "Just kill me and be done with it. That's the only way you'd get the murders to stop."

The queen clenched her fist and took a deep breath before letting it out to calm herself. "So you admit to being involved."

"If I tell you, how can I be sure you'll keep me safe?" Hans was fiddling with the bandages on his bleeding hand, trying to stop it. Elsa let her hands relax, before taking his bleeding hand in both of her own. "Do you think I would be able to go free after I told you?"

She began to rebandage his hand, pulling it tight enough that he winced, baring his teeth. "It depends. I'm not wholly convinced of your innocence. After all, you're my betrothed, and I must know if you really have changed. If you won't kill me while I sleep in our marriage bed, or if you will."

Hans face grew hot. "You haven't broken the engagement then."

Elsa tied a knot in the bandages, securing them tight with a jerk that had to have hurt him.

Hans didn't make a sound, just silently bit his lip and clenched his other fist against his trouser leg.

"Why would I have? Do I look like some idiot to make an enemy of the Southern Isles?" She released his hand near roughly, the closest thing to actually showing her anger, and he rubbed at it, making a soft sound of pain.

"Or rather an enemy of my mother." He turned to look at her, face still warm.

"Or that. Your mother is a formidable woman." Elsa bowed her head just a fraction lower, her own hands gripping her skirt. "She's so young too."

"Sometimes I think she only married my father because he was forty years her senior." Hans lowered his gaze as well. "She only wanted the throne."

Elsa looked up at him sharply. "Sounds familiar."

Hans just about flinched. "I knew you would say that. She was the one who pushed me to try to marry you or your sister." He sighed. "The first time I was here, that is."

She stiffened. "Are you trying to blame your mother for trying to kill me?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, too afraid to actually look at her for more than a moment at a time. "It was her plan. She even told me to try to woo you first."

Elsa snorted, shaking her head slightly. "Mmhm, of course she did."

"I'm serious!" Hans insisted, hands flat against his thighs, the empty spaces between his fingers still looking wrong and unreal somehow. "You had no interest in.. Well.. It seemed like you had no interest in men."

Her mouth opened in disbelief and more than just a little mirth at just how ridiculous that sounded. "Did you tell your mother this?" She could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Is that why she was so intent on marrying you off to me?"

Hans shrugged one shoulder, fingers flexing unbidden. "You accepted. I guess that means you were more into men than either of us anticipated."

"Do you really think I accepted because I'm attracted to you?" Elsa asked, incredulously. She actually thought that was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "Me? Attracted to you? That's so ridiculous. I didn't even know it was you I would be marrying."

Hans looked over his shoulder at her expression. "So you were willing to marry some stranger from a place you've never been, but not me?"

"For the good of my Kingdom, as it were. The thought of you never even crossed my mind." Elsa shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the topic of choice. She looked away, eager to get off the subject. "Will you take me to see the Southern Isles then, as a wedding gift?" She sounded remarkably sincere, and Hans had to stare, unwilling to admit that question took him by surprise. "So I can say I'm marrying a man whose homeland I've actually been to."

He faced her. "Elsa, I…"

She hesitantly met his gaze. "What?"

"Can I say something crazy?" Hans took her hand in both of his, the bandages making them unwieldy like rocks attached to the ends of his wrists.

She glowered, half intent on jerking her hand back, expecting the worst. "Go on."

"I would love.." That word got caught in his throat, and he half choked getting it out, "Love, to take you to the Southern Isles."

Elsa's fingers flexed instinctively in the confines between his hands, and frost started spreading onto his hands, and she gaped at him, trying to discern whether he was serious or not. "Really?"

A visible shiver went through him and he squeezed her hand tighter between his, melting the thin layer of rime. "Would you want to?"

"I.." She looked away. "I don't know. I've never been out of Arendelle."

"You've never been married either." Hans responded sharply. "It's time you got to experience things."

"Such as?" Elsa's voice turned sour at the sound of his tone. She was sure this was going to lead down a path she didn't want to travel at all, let alone go down with Hans of all people.

"Well, clearly, you've never received any attention from suitors with this attitude." Hans snapped back.

"I wouldn't want any to begin with." She answered, harshly. "Especially if all of them would act like you are now."

"Oh, Elsa, _darling_ , if you think this is bad, then maybe you're not cut out for spending the rest of your life with me." Hans hissed, his tone caustic and cutting.

"Maybe not then." Elsa turned her face away from him. "You'll have to be the one to tell your mother."

"What? Why should I? Since you apparently can't stand me, you're the only one with the problem with marrying me."

"What?" Her voice was flat. "Why don't you have any problem with it?"

"Why not? A man has needs, which is something someone so frigid like you couldn't understand. Do you think I wouldn't want you if I had the chance, and of course, if you were willing?"

Elsa's face was the reddest it had ever gotten. " _What_."

"You aren't deaf." Hans pulled away, walking toward the door, disgruntled and suddenly sullen at her reaction. "You heard what I said."

Elsa was still in shock, trying to wrap her mind around it. What. Did. He. Just. Say?

Well, it did make sense, since every single thing he'd done since he arrived screamed secret crush. It was still so bizarre. A man actually was interested in her, and he just happened to be a traitor to her kingdom.


	9. Bonding? or: Escape

Elsa put her cold hand to her burning face, trying to resist the blush high on her cheeks as she looked in the hand mirror, wondering what it was that men, especially Hans, saw in her. She sighed and placed the mirror down. Frost was covering the reflective surface anyway.

Hans was rushing down the hallway, feeling so stupid for giving in to her like that. It was obvious he was going to be rejected, he knew it from the start. No woman wanted a man who tried to kill her. He knew it was reasonable, and he hated himself for it. "Oh, you stupid, stupid idiot!" Hans berated himself, dashing his hands against his forehead. Elsa probably hated him more now.

He headed outside to take a walk, knowing full well the guards should have been with him and it would be considered an escape attempt. Hans got as far as the stables, before he was stopped by a guard.

"I'm just visiting the horses." He said, softly, trying to put him at ease. A bandaged and gloved hand reached out to pet the nose of one dappled brown mare. "See?" The horse responded as if it had known him before and nuzzled the prince's wrist looking for treats. The guard, who looked younger than Hans himself, allowed it, standing by the only way to leave the small building. He knew he'd be trapped in there, but it was better than being ridiculed by the queen or set up for more 'interrogations'.

"Right? You're a finer girl than Elsa.." Hans murmured to the horse, petting her face. The horse nudged his bandaged cheek, sniffing it with curiosity before attempting to bite it. Hans laughed genuinely, and pressed his forehead to the equine beast's neck, breathing slowly and relaxing, almost feeling as if he was at home and this beautiful mare was Sitron.

Elsa was pacing in her bedroom, more or less panicking over what Hans had meant. Clearly, he must be crazy, because she wasn't anything particularly special. Just a monster. A rather thick layer of ice was creeping up the walls, as if to protect her from the outside world. Before the ice could seal the door shut, a guard stepped in.

"My Queen, we found Prince Hans in the stable with one of the horses. He was trying to escape on horseback."

_Really?_ Elsa bit her lip. "Bring him to me. But try not to hurt him. He's still healing."

The guard looked at her strangely for that second order but obeyed willingly. Hans was brought in, wearing no coat or ascot or vest. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal the bandages going further up his arm than Elsa herself remembered then being. Hay was in his hair. At least he was caught wearing shoes.

"What is this my guards told me about you trying to escape?" Elsa stood up straighter than before, knowing she was in the right here and Hans was wrong.

"I was.. Simply admiring your horses, my queen." Hans spoke evenly, not betraying a trace of the frustration he felt inside.

"Which one did you attempt to steal?"

Hans stiffened, knowing he had been caught. "Your dappled mare. She was beautiful."

Elsa crossed the room, turning away from him. "Aja. That's her name. She was a gift from my father. The last one."

He felt as if he were sinking. "I apologize."

She held up her hand to silence him. "Don't bother. I don't much ride anymore anyway."

Hans sighed. "She is a beautiful horse and deserves to be rode. You and I should go riding."

Elsa turned to look at him suddenly. "Why? So you can try to run like you were trying to run away before?" Her eyes were cold. "Did our _conversation_ , if you could even call it that, move you to try to get as far from me as you possibly could?"

"Elsa, I.."

She rounded on him, furious. "You, what, thought you could distract me with sweet nothings before you stole my horse and escaped my custody?"

Hans hadn't realized she'd be upset since he stormed out of the room without seeing if she was alright after. "I should be the one who is upset since you spurned every chance I give you to actually act like husband and wife."

"We are not yet married!" Elsa answered, voice shrill.

"That doesn't mean we can't get used to acting like it!"

Hans stepped toward her.

Elsa didn't notice, too busy yelling out: "What makes you think I even want to?"

He put his hands about her waist. "Elsa."

"Why are you so intent making me fall in love with you?"

"Elsa!" His voice was more forceful.

She didn't respond to the sound of her name.

"Why do I want to trust you?"

Her voice rose with each question.

"Elsa!" He just about yelled. That snapped her back to reality, her frantic episode broken.

"What?"

"This." He pulled her close against him and kissed her deeply.

Instead of fighting back, her arms slowly went around his shoulders, and her whole body relaxed against his, like all of the pressure and anxiety built up had just released in a whoosh of pent up frustration. Elsa's hand slid up the back of the prince's neck, nails threading up and through his hair, as the kiss deepened. Finally, finally, they had to come up for air. She just stared vacantly at him, as if coming to terms with the fact that her first real kiss was with a man she was supposed to hate.

"Elsa, my queen, I—"

The Queen punched him hard, pulling back and breathing fast. "How dare you?"

Hans could not believe what he was hearing, a hand clapped over his bleeding nose.

"You kissed me back?" He repeated himself, letting the fact sink in.

" _You_ kissed _me_ back."

Elsa wiped her mouth with both of her hands, before looking back up at him. After a long pause where she gathered her wits about her, she finally managed to speak.

"Prince Hans.. If you take me to the Southern Isles as a wedding gift, in exchange you may keep Aja... A-as my wedding gift to you."

Hans looked at her as if she was a goddess, his entire face lighting up, as he cupped her cheeks in his mangled hands and kissed her again. "Oh, Elsa, I love you."

That got the Queen to shove him off as hard as she could. "No, you don't. You're a liar, and a bad one at that. Don't touch me without permission again."

Hans let out a soft exhale as he was forced to obey, the air hissing through his teeth. _One step forward, two steps back_.


	10. A New Guest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of Frozen, don't work for Disney and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

"Where's the Queen Dowager? It's been almost a few days since we've seen her last."

Hans shifted, uncomfortable with lying when Elsa would have his head on a platter if she knew he was. "She's been sending letters and planning our wedding these past few days."

"That doesn't mean she has to be locked away from everyone else."

Hans put up his hands. "It's just how she likes it."

That young guard that had caught Hans trying to escape only a week before came barreling into the room. "Milady, there's a guest here looking for you. A blonde giant of a man."

Elsa nodded, confused. "Thank you, Jansen. You may resume your post."

She looked to Hans, as if expecting him to join her going into the main atrium of the Castle. He offered her his arm and she took it. They both had decided it was best to keep up appearances for the general public, even if the whole thing was a lie.

Jansen had not been kidding; the man in the hall was remarkably tall and clad in a motley assortment of furs, all coated in a thick amount of snow. His hair was a honey blonde, and tied back as if he had not cut it in years. His beard, however, was shorn close to the skin, graying in streaks.

"My queen." His voice was rough, as if unused, but he genuflected just the same as any other subject, if not with more respect than the average citizen.

"Rise, and tell me your name." Elsa spoke, commanding.

"Bjorgman. That's what everyone calls me, my queen."

"Ah.. Alright, Bjorgman? Whats your business here?"

"Prince Hans of the Southern Kingdom, is he here?" Bjorgman looked around, just passing by Hans.

"That's me." He answered, as Bjorgman turned to look at Anna and Kristoff who had just entered the building from outside, where they looked like they just had a recent tumble in the snow, both their faces red as if they had exerted themselves outside, or it was because they weren't expecting an entourage to welcome them back from their romp outside.

"Princess Anna," Elsa called, gesturing for her to approach, "and her husband, Earl Kristoff, would like to welcome you to our kingdom."

Anna curtsied low, and Kristoff bowed. But it was Kristoff who Bjorgman could not take his eyes off of.

"Why was it you needed to find me?" Hans spoke up from beside Elsa, squeezing her hand.

Bjorgman's eyes flicked back to him. "Same red hair as your father, and same green eyes."

Hans was more than just a little confused as well. "You knew my father, I'm assuming?"

Bjorgman clapped a hand down on his shoulder hard enough to sting."Knew him? I grew up with him! Don't you recognize your own brother?"

His face twisted. "What? Meinhard? Is that really you?" He knew the face looked familiar, and he realized now it was because that same childish smile was on the face of a young man in a painting that hung in his father's study.

He enveloped Hans in a bone crushing hug. "I half feared you wouldn't remember me."

Elsa could not tear her eyes from Hans or his brother. "What about 'Bjorgman'? Where did that name come from?"

Hans held his brother out at arms length, getting a good look at him.

"A friend I once knew had that name." He nodded gravely. "Took it out of respect. That and I didn't want any of you finding me until I was good and ready to be found." He hugged Hans tightly once more. "Now I hear you are to be married, little brother?" Meinhard looked to Elsa. "This must be the beautiful bride." She flushed despite herself and some part of her knew it was just flattery; one of the major exports of the Southern Isles it seemed.

"She's my beautiful bride, brother." Some of that jealousy Hans held deep inside began to show.

"And I wouldn't dream of stealing her away. She looks like she loves you plenty. It would be rude of me to break that up."

That made Elsa's face heat up worse. That wasn't even true.

Anna, always the one who loved a good story, led the party to another room to sit and warm themselves by the fire. Meinhard began to regale them with the tale of how he journeyed through the forests and mountains 'til he reached Arendelle. Hans was bored out of his mind, and kept dozing off.

Elsa didn't notice until he had laid his head on her shoulder. For some unknown reason, she didn't wake him, instead she just ran her fingers through his hair and let him rest. She knew he more than needed it.

Anna listened rapturously, never one to miss a good story.

But it was Kristoff whose eyes never left the mountain man in front of him. He sat ramrod straight, at rapt attention, the entire time. He felt as if every time Meinhard looked at him and met his gaze, there was a connection. Somewhere deep down he recognized him, but could not consciously place him. Maybe if he listened more, the answer would become clear.

Anna seemed to have noticed it too. Something about the way the man spoke and presented himself, seemed remarkably familiar. She glanced to Kristoff and squeezed his arm a bit tighter than necessary to get his attention.

Barely pulling his eyes away from the mountain man, he glanced to his wife out the corner of his eyes. "What is it?"

Hans had placed a gloved hand gently on Elsa's lap as he slept, hand bunching around the fabric on her thigh as he dreamed. If she didn't realize he had been sleeping and not just faking, she would have him again. Maybe ruin his other ear this time. Instead she covered his hand with her own, and squeezed gently, prying his hand off of her skirt, and holding it. She could feel where his fingertips had been removed, under the thin leather. To anyone just looking at them, it would have looked like just an ordinary act of affection, but Elsa knew it was just out of necessity. She hoped Hans would see it as the same.

Anna glanced to the mountain man, who had just finished up his story and was drinking some hot chocolate brought in by one of the newer servants, since Gerta had taken leave for a few days. "I feel as if I've met him before.."

Kristoff's eyes widened, realizing both he and his wife felt the same. "So do I."

Hans stirred, only for just a moment, lifting his head and looking to his brother. Meinhard met his gaze, watching them. His expression had softened, seeing them like that.

Elsa covered Hans' cheek affectionately with her hand, frost tickling down the back of his neck, to get him to wake up. It wasn't visible to the mountain man, or at least she hoped not. "I apologize. The prince has not been well recently.

"My queen is so worried about me, wouldn't you say?" Hans brushed his lips against her cheek, and she had to fight the urge to push him away with her opposite hand.

"I'm glad my little brother had found love at last." Meinhard sounded weary. "But I must be going." He stood up, towering over all of them and throwing the room into shadow.

Anna stood as well, sounding a little jumpy. "You must be tired after such a long journey. Perhaps you should.. stay here for a little while longer?" She looked to her sister, a weak smile crossing her face. "Right, Elsa?"

The queen looked to Hans as if confirming whether or not they wanted him there, but really, it was Elsa's choice alone. "We would love for you to stay here as a guest of the kingdom."

Meinhard let out a soft exhale and sat back down. "I guess I'll stay, if it means so much to the brother I've not seen since he was born. In almost thirty years, is it?"

Hans squeezed Elsa's hand tight enough she thought it would break. "Why don't you stay for the wedding as well?"

His brother raised an eyebrow. "When is this wedding?"

Both Hans and Elsa answered in unison: "The first day of Winter."

Not expecting it, they looked at each other. Hans was more incredulous, since he had thought up that date alone on the spot, and the same went for Elsa.

The mountain man laughed, "Not even married yet and they're on the same wavelength."

Hans' grip on her hand relaxed, and he let out a soft laugh as well. "Of course. Elsa and I are so close, we could finish each others'.."

"Sentences." Elsa finished for him.

Anna tensed for a moment, but relaxed as soon as Kristoff covered her hand on his arm with her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading this! I'm so happy that people actually like this.


	11. Conspiracy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding Frozen, I don't work for Disney, and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

"How did your father die, if you don't mind me asking?" Elsa's voice was quiet, as if she didn't want anyone to hear what she was asking.

"Shipwreck, I think." Meinhard lifted his cup of wine to his lips. "He died right after Hans was born, too. Was part of the reason I left." His eyebrows arced high on his face. "Jekaterina, the whore, would have had me thrown out or killed if I even thought about trying to vie for the throne. She did it to Diederik too, or at least I think so. But what do I know? I'm a mad mountain man."

He looked up at her, expression soft. "I'm surprised your husband hadn't told you this."

Elsa didn't bother correcting him. "He's told me only the necessary basics."

"How are my brothers and the old bitch anyway?"

She looked down at her gloved hands. "Three are dead, and I haven't seen The Dowager in a month. Hans is.. With the horses, I believe."

He sniffed sharply, staring at the table, his gaze hard. "They probably challenged her in some way…"

Elsa stared up at him, unable to understand what he was saying. "You think she killed them?"

There was a long period of silence before he spoke again. "I'm not saying she's completely innocent."

The queen drank from her cup, to break the awful silence. "Do you believe she killed your father too?"

Meinhard sighed, looking at her. "I don't know what to believe, but I wouldn't put it past her either. Some kind of witchcraft. Maybe she sent a storm his way to capsize the royal ship. I don't know."

Elsa froze, staring away into space.

"Beside that.. If it isn't too much, I don't want her knowing I'm here. Refer to me as Bjorgman, if you will. Please." His voice was desperate.

That snapped her back to reality. Elsa didn't understand why he didn't want her to know, especially since the kingdom of Arendelle could have easily protected Meinhard, but she agreed quietly. "I will notify my servants and family, as well as Hans."

Meinhard's entire demeanor changed at the mention of her sister. "She is a feisty one, isn't she?"

"She's also married. And happily."

"Of course, I saw her husband. A strapping young man, if I do say so myself. I'm not scoundrel enough to steal a woman away like that. She just reminds me of a friend, is all."

"Your friend, Bjorgman?" Elsa inquired, wondering what kind of friend he had that was so reminiscent of her sister.

"Yeah. Darja Bjorgman. A good woman. Strong, too. Had the most beautiful brown eyes." Meinhard's voice grew wistful. "She.. Was killed almost twenty two years ago. I still think about her everyday."

"Oh." He had taken his false name from that of a woman he loved, she guessed. It was noble, in a way. Romantic, too.

Before either of them could say more, in swooped the Dowager Queen herself, looking resplendent in a maroon gown with a skirt wide enough to house a small army, her dark hair coiffed up in a style that left her almost too-pale neck bare. "So we have a guest." She curtsied low, revealing her low cut bodice and the curdled-milk color of her skin, leaving little to the imagination.

Seeing this show, Meinhard made a soft disgusted noise and bowed his head, to keep her from recognizing him. "My lady.."

"What a gentleman.." The Dowager murmured, attempting to be beguiling as she smoothed a hand along Meinhard's broad shoulder. "Do men from the mountains oft talk with such grace?" She gave him a seductive smirk and he forced his eyes away, just in case she met his gaze.

"My Queen, Jekaterina, this is Bjorgman of the Northern Mountain." Elsa gestured to him with a flourish. "He is an honored guest, having traveled so far."

"Oh?" The dowager fixed her alluring gaze on him. "What brings you down here then?"

Meinhard ran a hand along his short beard, the sound rasping and repellant. "Trade, mostly. I also meant to discuss matters of ice gathering and sale."

"Tch. Boring affairs of state then…" Jekaterina poured herself a drink of wine, stirring it with one elegant finger. She lifted her nail and touched her tongue to the drop of red dangling from her finger. Meinhard met her gaze for just a second and looked away, gripping the edge of the table hard enough to almost crack the aged and carved wood.

The Dowager smiled knowingly, and looked back to Elsa. "The plans for your marriage are running as smoothly as to be expected, девочка.

«Thank you, Queen Jekaterina." Elsa smiled back, very gently. "But I believe my guest must be exhausted from his travels, and I must seek out my husband. If you would please excuse the both of us."

She had no reason to keep them there, so of course the Dowager let them go.

"We have guests' quarters down this hallway, if you'll follow me." Elsa called to Meinhard as she led him down a random hallway she picked out of the blue. It was just a distraction anyway.

As they walked away, Jekaterina was scoping out the mountain man. For a moment it was almost as if she recognized him, but at the last second she shook her head, as if telling herself no, it wasn't her long lost estranged stepson, here to take the throne away at long last.

What was she doing, fearing like a child?

The boy was dead anyway. Jekaterina knew she had nothing to fear. The boy and his peasant whore were done in, by a few mercenaries and a bag of gold, untraceable back to her. This stranger was just some poor trader who hadn't seen women in months, most likely. He was harmless.

Elsa had let Meinhard go, after they really did come across the guests' quarters. He was weary from traveling, that much was true. She even sent up a bowl of hot water and a few towels for him to wash up in. No one could say Queen Elsa of Arendelle was a bad host, after all.

After she left him in the room, Elsa found herself being drawn to the stables. True as it was that she had not ridden in quite a while, something was pulling her there now.

Hans met her halfway. He was wearing new, freshly tailored, still clean riding clothes. It made him look stylish, and Elsa hated to admit it, quite attractive. "My Queen." He took her hand, smirking as he kissed it tenderly. "Come to take me up on my offer of going for a ride?"

Elsa clenched her fists, and then released them again. "…Yes. I'll go riding with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Девочка (devochka) - girl, like "lass", or "girlie". Not really something you'd call a queen.


	12. A Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of Frozen, I don't work for Disney and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

The sun was shining high on the forest trail, and the sound of birds was all around them. It wasn't the most unpleasant of horseback rides, Elsa could admit. Not only that, but the view around her was beautifully breathtaking.

Hans turned toward her, a grin spread across his face. It was the happiest she'd ever seen him.

"Still keeping up?"

"What do you think?" Elsa flashed him a dazzling, if breathless, smile.

He almost fell off his horse seeing it for the first time actually aimed toward him. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. The sun shone bright on her white blonde hair, and the heat was making her face flushed, and he thought she never looked more beautiful.

Elsa spurred on her horse with a cry, urging it on ahead of Hans. "Try to keep up now!" She tossed her head back, laughing as the horse sped forward.

"Trying to outdo me, eh?" Hans dug his heels into Aja's sides, going after her, laughing genuinely as well.

She shrieked with laughter as he began to catch up, and urged the horse faster. Hans still remained close enough to see her, Elsa's braid flowing in the wind like moonlight. If he wanted to, he could have reached out and touched it, just for a split second.

Just for a moment he could have, but then that moment was gone as they both slowed to a stop. The horses were tired out so Hans suggested they stopped at a stream to rest.

Elsa leaned forward on her horse, breathing hard from laughing, as Hans pulled up beside her, breathless with laughter. He dismounted first, tying Aja's lead to a tree beside the stream so she could drink, before tying Elsa's black and white horse, Nòrr, to the tree as well.

"Need help, my queen?" He offered his hand to Elsa once he had finished. 

She took his hand, and no frost gathered as she carefully descended, the prince grabbing her waist with his other hand to steady her.

Hans' hand did not leave her waist, even after Elsa was safely on the ground. Instead, she turned in his grip, hands flying to his chest.

"Do you mind?" She asked, politely, looking up at him. Her hair was a mess and starting to come loose from her braid.

"Not at all." Hans brushed her hair off of her face with his fingertips, his hand coming to a stop at her cheek.

"I meant.." She leaned a little closer, face pink. "For you to let go of me."

"Ah! Of course, I apologize." Hans released her, not even realizing he still held her close.

"You're always apologizing, Prince Hans." Elsa ambled away, to look at the stream between the horses.

"And you don't apologize enough." Hans replied, calling after her as he splashed his way to her, where Elsa had balanced perfectly on a rock across the river.

"Since when is that a bad thing?" She waited for him to reach her, before darting off again, as if playing a game of tag.

"Since you're too stubborn to even admit you're sorry." He gave chase, splashing loudly, hearing the echo all around him.

Elsa was waiting for him on the other side of the river, where she had froze it just enough that she could get across without getting wet but seconds after she breached the other side, the ice melted and Hans had to slog through knee deep water. The opposite side of the river was completely surrounded by trees that were too thick to really run through, but Elsa didn't want to get lost anyway. She was just relishing getting out of the castle for once, and she was sure Hans didn't mind either.

"Since when is apologizing too much a bad thing?" Hans had asked as soon as he stepped onto the bank, boots all muddy.

"It makes you sound like a pushover."

"Am I a pushover?"

"I don't know." Elsa was leaning back against a tree, arms crossed over her chest.

"Why don't you find out?" Hans approached her, fingertips brushing against her waist.

"You did do whatever your mother wanted you to do." Elsa pointed out. "That makes you a pushover."

"I meant like this." He moved forward as if to kiss her again, and she shoved him back hard. He ended up tripping over some exposed root. However, Hans had not relinquished his grip so she fell on top of him.

"Very funny." Elsa muttered, unamused, a hand sliding up his chest as she found her footing, kneeling between his legs in the mud. She was suddenly very glad she had a pair of jodhpurs and high boots on instead of a dress.

"You don't like my jokes, I take it?"

"I don't like anything about you. You should know that by now." Elsa made no move to get up.

"Right, right.." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "You hate me still, I know. I don't blame you."

She glanced down, face pink in the sunlight dappling through the trees. "I admit now, I don't hate you as much as I did."

"Oh?" Hans' thumb was stroking her cheek. "Why is that?"

"I.. I don't know, I just feel like since we've been engaged, I trust you more."

"Still want to try to throw me?"

That got a smile to pass across her face like a cloud on a sunny day.

"I'll think about it."

Hans laughed softly. "I'm sure that wouldn't be be the only time you think about me."

"Says the man who tries to kiss me every chance he gets."

"It's not every day you meet a beautiful woman."

Elsa cringed, turning away from him. "You always say that, but I'm not."

"How do you know?" Hans turned her face back toward him. "Do you know what beautiful looks like?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm a monster, Hans. Just as much as you are."

"Then perhaps my mother was right in matching us up. Us monsters need to stick together."

Elsa smiled sadly, shaking her head. "You're a fool."

"Elsa. Look at me." She met his gaze, hesitantly.

Hans very carefully leaned in and kissed her.

For a beat there was silence and no reaction. Then the Queen surged forward against him, hungry for attention, clenching his shirt in her fist. His other hand rested against her back, sliding lower just a little.

Elsa's face felt hot, and she felt like she should pull back and step away from this situation and block it all out, but for some reason she didn't.

Instead she leaned in once more, kissing him again like she couldn't get enough of him.

They went on like this until the sun began to set.

Elsa had crawled up further against him, and she didn't even care that her hair had come out of its braid or that she was getting mud everywhere. She just wanted to touch and be touched.

"Hans..." Finally she pulled back after a long kiss that could have went on forever and she wouldn't have minded. "I-I-I think we should stop. I don't know if I could take this any longer."

He sat up, heeding her advice. "It's getting dark anyway. We should go back."

She took his hand and pulled him upright once she was standing. There was mud all over his back, and his hair was just as mussed as hers.

At least he didn't have a particularly visible suck mark on the base and side of his throat the way Elsa did. And she didn't even notice.

Hans took her hand and helped her onto the black horse, before climbing onto Aja. It was fully dark when they finally reached the castle, and the stars looked like snowflakes.


	13. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own a word of Frozen, don't work at Disney, and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

The night came and went, and Elsa did not sleep a wink. Facing the sunrise with a groan, she sat up from where she had been lying, tossing and turning, thoughts running like a steam engine. Realizing she was still wearing the clothing she had gone riding in the night before, the Queen began to dress for the day, shivering as her thoughts turned to the night before, and especially Hans.

In the opposite side of the castle, the youngest Prince of the Southern Isles was pacing in the darkness of his guests' quarters. The curtains had been drawn, blocking out the sun, but it didn't matter because he had not slept anyway. A cold pot of tea sat at his fireside table, the cup beside it sat untouched. He didn't need anything to keep him awake anyway. He was too busy thinking, primarily about a certain Queen.

When Elsa had finished dressing, she inadvertently met Hans in the hall. Dressed in new garments, he looked the same as she, but still somehow handsome through it. She knew she must have looked ragged beside him.

Hans offered his arm, and Elsa took it. It was best to keep up appearances, no matter the cost.

When they breached the doors to the dining room where the stewards were serving breakfast to the royal household and their guests, every head turned, and Elsa imagined their tongues were wagging with new rumors and the like. Everyone could see the red mark on her throat, the one she herself only noticed when she looked in her mirror to brush and style her hair. The fact that she was arm in arm with her betrothed, as they walked in together, made it all the worse. But at the same time it didn't seem so bad. So what if they thought she and Hans had spent the night together. It wouldn't have been as much of a scandal as she was afraid it would be.

Hans pulled out Elsa's chair for her, and slid the seat in for her when she had sat down, before he sat beside her. The Dowager was seated across from her, a proud smile on her face.

"Good morning, девочка. I take it you slept well?"

Elsa's face burned and she grasped for a glass of water, sipping it gingerly so she didn't have to speak.

Hans answered for his bride. "I can attest she slept well."

She choked on the water, face turning a pale pink. "Hans!"

"Yes, Elsa, _darling_?" He turned to face her, smirking like he had just won the imaginary game they had going, whose rules were unknown and foreign to her.

"Perhaps you should let her speak for herself." Meinhard spoke into his cup of wine from down the table nearest to Anna and Kristoff. The rest of the brothers had sailed home with the bodies of their fallen siblings, beside Hjalmerr and his family who decided to stay in Arendelle, however, far away from the rest of the royal family, without Jekaterina's knowledge.

"Perhaps our guest could hold his tongue." Jekaterina added, smooth as a mountain right before an avalanche. "Before I have my men cut it out for him."

Meinhard turned to stare at the Dowager, seething. Everyone else at the table could see it in the way he gripped the glass in his fist, except Jekaterina.

Elsa managed to recover at long last, setting down her now empty glass. The servants quickly refilled it, but she did not touch it again.

"Bjorgman may speak, it does not bother me."

"It bothers _me_." Hans ground out through his teeth quietly from beside her. Elsa gripped his wrist as if to hush him. It seemed to work, until he shifted, sliding his hand onto hers and entwining their fingers. His hand felt foreign against hers without his customary gloves.

"Of course." Jekaterina's immediate response was catty. "I had forgotten I have no power here. As you will, my queen."

Elsa knew the Dowager was mocking her, but she didn't care. She knew Jekaterina had no power over her. The Queen and the State, maybe. But not herself.

Hans squeezed her hand almost reassuringly. It was a comfort to know he was there. Elsa wondered if she would have thought that under any other circumstances. He had become an ally in this all out battle against the Dowager, albeit one that was still attached to his mother. The Dowager held something over his head, to keep him loyal to her, Elsa was sure of it.

Anna held Gunter close, smoothing his dark hair down. It had grown longer in the time that had passed. Kristoff, of course, was distracted and inundated by the sight of his wife and young son.

"Since our loving queen has taken her betrothed to her bed, I have wondered long about this. Shall we move up the date for the wedding?" Elsa turned to look at the Dowager, horrified at her words.

"To when?"

"The first day of fall. It will be beautiful." Jekaterina fixed Elsa with a pointed stare as she spoke.

"That's less than a month away. Could we really accomplish that?" Hans turned to look at his mother.

"The servants will work doubly hard but I have no doubt they could do it, мой дорогой." The Dowager patted her son's hand.

On the other side, Elsa squeezed his hand even tighter.

Hans fought the urge to wince, and looked to his bride. "I think that sounds like a great idea, don't you agree?."

Elsa narrowed her eyes at him. _You traitor_. "Of course." What else could she say? No? That was silly.

"Shall I be expecting grandchildren soon enough?" The Dowager's arched brow was elegant, as she questioned them.

This time Hans' face burned redder than Elsa had ever seen it. It would have been funny if she hadn't sympathized with him.

"Mother, is this really a conversation to be having at breakfast? Especially with our guest here?"

That shut Jekaterina up for a moment. "Sir Bjorgman does not mind, does he? The man's half in his cups by now."

She fixed him with an alluring gaze, and all Meinhard did was scoff softly, and reply with a terse "Yes, I do mind. Actually. My queen." It sounded as if it pained him to respectfully refer to her as her title. "I'm trying to enjoy my food." And by food, he meant wine. The man had gone through two bottles of their finest in a quarter of an hour and was still stone cold sober.

Anna spoke up next. "I think it'd be nice for Elsa to have a baby. Gunter would have someone to play with." Kristoff agreed, starting to stare at Meinhard again. He was still unsure who the man was or why he was so familiar, but he guessed it was something about his own childhood.

Hans cleared his throat loudly. "Elsa and I are not expecting any children, I'm loathe to tell you."

The queen looked at her fiancé, forgiving him just a little for perpetuating the idea that they had spent the night together.

"Perhaps when we have been married, we will, but not now."

"I believe you should start as soon as possible, hm? My son will want many children, I'd think."

Elsa scowled and gestured to a servant to pour her some strong wine. She was going to need it if she was going to deal with the Dowager like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> девочка (devochka - girl, lass)
> 
> мой дорогой (moy dorogoy - my darling)


	14. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any of anything from Frozen, I don't work for Disney and never have. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

This had to be the first time Elsa had gotten drunk, Hans guessed. The poor girl was three glasses into a bottle of watered down wine (the servants did the watering down, bless them) she had had brought up from the dining hall after she gave up trying to talk to the Dowager, and positively sloshed. He knew what that looked like, from experience, being both the one drinking and the one being exposed to the drinker. It was the latter however he was more used to, since several of his brothers came home in their cups more often than not long after the servants had went to bed, or when they had not wanted the servants to know. Being the youngest, he definitely had to play nurse to their ills. At least Elsa wasn't three times his size or reeked of cheap perfume and tobacco smoke.

She was light in his arms as he carried her off to her bed, and it was the middle of the night, so the entire castle was silent and dark.

The Queen had fallen asleep in her armchair in the middle of a conversation she was holding in Hans' room, in front of the fire. Right before she had dozed off, she gave him a big smile and told him she loved him. Hans knew it was untrue, all drunks loved their compatriots. Even so, it had still made him feel different inside.

Tucking her into her bed, still dressed in the clothes she wore the night before (as if he was going to undress her and be chewed out tomorrow? Unlikely) Hans impulsively gave her a sweet peck on the forehead. She only turned to her side, facing away from him. After that, he left and returned to his own room.

Until, that is, he woke to discover another body sharing his bed.

"Elsa, what are you doing in my bed?"

She didn't reply, only stirring beside him, probably waking up. That meant Elsa had traversed the entirety of the castle whilst drunk to just get back into his chambers. That took some skill. Maybe this wasn't the first time she had been drunk silly after all.

"Elsa?"

He was sure she had fallen asleep again.

"Ah!" Hans gasped in surprise as Elsa's hands slid around his bare chest from behind. "C-cold.."

"Mnnh.." She nuzzled closer to him, still half asleep, face freezing cold against his neck and back. "Sorry.."

"Were you this chilly last night?" Hans suppressed a shiver, feeling goosebumps rise over his skin.

"You had clothes on last night." Elsa was beginning to wake up, her head pounding. It meant she was going to be quite testy. Hans knew this too from experience.

"Yes, I did." He froze, feeling her bare skin on his back. "And so did you.."

"Do you always sleep without a shirt on?" Elsa was laying her freezing cheek against his shoulder blade, absorbing the warmth.

"Usually." Hans managed to speak, still distracted by the fact the Queen was naked in his bed with him and he didn't recall her getting there.

Her hands drew lower, probably just as she relaxed and fell back asleep, and the Prince made a soft startled sound. "Elsa." It was just his imagination that his voice was trembling, wasn't it? "My queen."

She sighed wetly against his back, and even her breath was cold.

Hans shifted away from the frigid body beside him, drawing back from her groping hands, which beside being a mostly unwelcome distraction were like ice, and realized Elsa's clothing had been draped neatly over the back of his armchair. It was too neat for a drunk to pull off, which meant one of the servants had been in.

Hans' face burned in embarrassment.

"Elsa, wake up."

She stretched like a cat, the quilted blankets falling down well past her ribs. "I had the greatest dream just now. Why did you wake me.." Her voice was still groggy, as if she still wasn't aware of her surroundings or even fully awake yet.

The Prince swallowed hard, hesitant to reach out and touch her shoulder to shake her awake. "My Queen.."

That jolted Elsa awake and she sat up with a start, before gasping loudly and covering herself with the blanket. "Why are you in my bed?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Hans dryly commented, sitting up straight and looking right at her.

"What?"

"You don't remember, do you? You were drunk and I put you to bed."

"Put me to _your_ bed, you mean?" She bristled, and Hans shivered, feeling the air around her turn colder.

" _You_ crawled into _my_ bed!" Hans got out of bed, standing up. "While I was sleeping, no less!"

Elsa got a good look at his chest looking healthy, instead of when he had been sick, and she looked away quickly, forcing herself to slow her breathing. "Then I wasn't dreaming."

She stared hard at the patterned bedspread.

"Whatever dream you had, is probably better than this."

Her head shot up, and her gaze hardened. "Of course it was."

"Were you dreaming of some better husband for you?" His face twisted with thinly veiled jealousy.

Elsa's face grew pink. "That isn't any of your business."

"I—" Hans began, before closing his mouth. "You're right. It's not."

She watched him warily. "You're not going to argue?" It seemed quite suspicious. "Can't I have a quiet peaceful morning with my bride to be?" He had been dressing as he spoke.

Elsa looked down at herself before speaking in a measured, precise tone. "Perhaps you should come back to bed then?"

Hans' voice cracked, such was the level of his disbelief as he spun to face her from where he was putting on his boots and almost losing his balance. "What?!"

"Come here." Elsa scooted toward the edge of the bed, still wrapped in the sheets.

Hans' face was almost redder than his hair, as he turned, watching Elsa grab him by the as of yet untied ascot and pull him closer. "I dreamt of the best husband I could have." She was reeling him in, hand over hand on the ascot, until his face was inches from hers. "I dreamt of you." She wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him down against her. Elsa's lips were cool and smooth as she kissed him deeply. The Queen's other hand slid up his chest, under his waistcoat, as he climbed back onto the bed with her.

"Elsa.." Hans murmured, pulling back to breathe.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, as if she was having second thoughts, or wondering if he was having second thoughts as well.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

Hearing that cemented in her reasoning and she pulled him back in by the neckerchief, kissing him desperately. "I do want to."

Hans swallowed again, mouth suddenly dry and hungry for the touch of her lips against his.

"I just.. I've never done this before, and I thought—"

"Why not try it out with your husband?" Hans finished for her, a bitter smile creeping across his face.

Elsa waited a moment to see if he was mocking her, chest heaving beneath him (and against him), before responding slowly, arching toward his touch. "Yes."


	15. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any single part of Frozen, nor do I work for Disney in any way. This is a not for profit fanwork.

The day of the wedding could not come soon enough. Elsa had grown nauseated with anxiety the closer they got to the first day of fall. She would barely pick at her food, and was just all around nervous.

There hadn't been any word from Hans' brothers, which was odd, and had also made her betrothed anxious as well, as far as she could see, because they should have arrived home by then, except for Niklaus who had stayed behind in Arendelle after all. Hans had wanted him to attend their wedding.

But beside all of that, the Prince was more apprehensive to the arrangement at best, especially since his mother, the Dowager, was so intent on him fathering heirs. It wasn't so much that he was unwilling to marry Elsa, but that Jekaterina would have the Queen deeper in her thrall. And he wasn't so sure that was as good of an idea as his mother insisted.

Anna was buzzing around, far more excited than her sister as she helped her dress for her wedding, not wanting the servants to do something she should have the honor to do, since Elsa had done the same for her when she married Kristoff, even though all her sister had to do was use her ice powers to create a beautiful dress.

"Oh, it's so exciting!"

She grabbed Elsa's hands before she could pull away, and spun around with her.

"You're getting married, I can't believe it!"

Elsa pulled her gloved hands back, folding her arms over her middle to keep Anna from taking them again. "Yes. I know. It's just so.. overwhelming." She covered her face with her hands. "What if all of this is a plot to steal the throne again?"

"Do you think he would do that, after you and him have grown so close?"

Elsa looked up at her, expression stark. "That's the thing. I don't know. I want to believe he wouldn't, but.." She shrugged her shoulder, looking away. "He's sweet to me, and he's apologized so many times already."

Anna looked her sister in the eye, hands on her shoulders. "If you trust him, then I'll trust him. Your judgement is.. much better than mine."

Elsa's expression softened and she pulled her sister into a tight embrace.

Anna smiled at her, holding Elsa out at arms length. "You look beautiful."

The Queen bit her lip, smiling bashfully. "Thank you.."

Gerda stuck her head in the doorway, disturbing the moment. "My Queen, Princess Anna, it's almost time."

The color drained out of Elsa's face at the words and her clammy hands gripped Anna's wrists tightly. "What if I mess up?"

"You won't, I promise." Anna squeezed her shoulders.

She looked up at her sister, and allowed her to position onto her face the gossamer veil that sparkled in the sun streaming through the window.

Anna was the one to walk her sister down the aisle. It had been Elsa's idea, but she had not opposed it, since she was the last remaining part of her family. Hans was standing at stiff attention at the altar beside his brother, eyes wide as he saw how beautiful she was in her gleaming ice dress.

The ceremony seemed to fly by, but of course, Elsa was nervous from anticipation. She wasn't sure about the Prince, but he seemed to be taking it easy.

"Who is it that gives the bride in holy matrimony?" Niklaus was presiding over the ceremony.

"I do." Anna flashed her sister an quick energetic smile before putting Elsa's hand atop Hans', and then stepping back to stand beside Kristoff. Taking her husband's arm, Anna watched Elsa face her fiancé.

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, do you take Queen Elsa of Arendelle to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect her, forsaking all others and holding only to her forevermore?"

"I do." Hans squeezed Elsa's hand, speaking solemnly.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle, do you take Prince Hans of the Southern Isles to be your lawfully wedded Husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only to him forevermore?" Elsa bowed her head, taking a deep breath and holding her head up high. Her hands were shaking. "I do."

"Please present the rings."

Elsa inhaled sharply, shifting where she stood.

"With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands." Hans waited for Elsa to remove her gloves, before sliding the band onto her ring finger and squeezing her hand affectionately.

Elsa slid her own ring onto Hans' shortened ring finger. "I give you this ring as a visible and constant symbol of my promise to be with you as long as I live."

Hans met her gaze, surprised at how even her voice was, as her hands still shook even now.

"Queen Elsa and Prince Hans, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in Matrimony, have promised your love for each other by these vows, the giving of these rings and the joining of your hands, I now declare you to be husband and wife."

Hans smiled, truly smiled, and squeezed her bare hands in his. They were like ice but no frost emanated forth from the tips.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Elsa waited for him to lift the veil.

She closed her eyes, trying to calm her breathing, mouth open just a little, as Hans cupped her cheek in his palm, leaning in and kissing her. It took a moment but she responded in kind, fingertips sliding up his chest and coming to rest near his neck.

"I present to you the happy couple."

Applause rang out through the cathedral.

Elsa pulled back from her new husband, looking up at him, breathlessly. Hans stroked her cold cheek with his thumb. She covered his hand with her own, letting the applause wash over her before they both turned as one to the people attending.

They led the procession out of the church to the horse and buggy waiting outside for the bride and groom. Hans helped his new wife into the car, before slipping in beside her. The rest of the royal family took another one behind them. They were headed to the dock, to board a ship that would take them to the Southern Isles for their honeymoon, just as Hans had promised.


	16. Trouble in Paradise, or; Kristoff Faces The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Frozen, have never worked at or for Disney, and this is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Elsa had never been on a ship before. That had to be why her seasickness was so bad. It was a good thing they were reaching land within the hour.

She had secluded herself in the cabin she was sharing with Hans.

The Prince, her new husband, was often on deck away from her. He had always loved the sea more than anything else, and feeling the wind in his hair was worth leaving Elsa alone for a short while, even if the salt made the scars on his face burn. She didn't want him to see her sick, he assumed, since she pushed him out of the room anyway.

Elsa wished her sister was on the ship, instead of at home with Kristoff and Gunter. It would have made the seasickness easier to handle, instead of the way it was.

She was sipping ginger tea, which according to Jekaterina worked wonders for nausea. The Dowager was probably in her own cabin, safe, away from the roiling motion, used to the sea, unlike the way Elsa was.

Hans slipped into the cabin, going right to his bride. "Are you feeling any better?"

The queen shook her head as he leaned in for a kiss, covering her mouth. "Don't kiss me, I'm ill."

Hans gently clasped her upper arms. "Elsa, we're in port. We aren't even moving."

She looked up at him. "I had thought I'd gotten used to the movements."

He smirked and kissed her anyway while she was distracted.

Elsa pushed him away. "Mnh— Stop. I'm still feeling ill."

Hans touched her face, brushing her messy hair back behind her ear. "I'll have a doctor summoned as soon as we get home." He corrected himself. "My home. To the castle."

Elsa closed her eyes wearily, leaning against his touch. "I don't need a doctor. I just need off of this ship and into the open air."

Hans frowned. "Elsa—"

"Hans, please. You're my husband, not my father." Elsa's eyes were maddeningly bright when she looked back at him.

"I only want you to be well enough to enjoy this." He lifted her gloved hand, pulling the glove off, finger by finger, and kissing the bared flesh beneath.

"Hans," Elsa's tone was warning, spikes of frost gathering at her palm where she anticipated him kissing her next.

"Yes, _my love_ ," Hans began, running his fingertip around the patch of ice gathering in her palm.

She inhaled sharply, pulling her hand back and snatching up her glove, the icicles melting away to nothing in less than a second as she slipped her glove back on.

"Tch, what has gotten into you?" He looked at her, confused and a little offended. "Do you think I'm going to attempt something devious? Or, maybe, one of my, well, our subjects will?"

"The way you say that doesn't give me any comfort."

"You worry too much." Hans waved her off dismissively.

"Says the man who tried to kill me, and is now my husband."

" _You_ married _me_ , Elsa."

"Against my better judgement!"

"Against your better judgement or not, we are married now."

Elsa stared at him, gaze frosty. "I'm starting to rethink the idea of it."

"Even if the closest feeling to love you can muster for me is vague animosity, we are still married." Hans squeezed her arms.

Elsa squirmed from his grip and stepped away, arms crossed over her middle as she turned away."I don't want to talk to you right now."

"Elsa." He came up behind her, and put his hand against her back.

Frost began to gather around his fingertips but didn't go any farther past that.

"Giving me the cold shoulder, hm?" His other hand slid around her waist, coming to rest on her own hands.

She snorted, unladylike, and sounded as if she was trying not to laugh. "Your jokes are terrible, Hans."

He grinned against her shoulder as he moved her sleeve off to bare it to his wandering lips. "So there is a person under that shell. I half suspected I married a snowman."

That got her to actually laugh, well, that and the fact that his kisses were tickling her shoulder.

"Sometimes I almost love you, and then you open your mouth and these _awful_ jokes come out and I hate you again." She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Almost?" He brushed his lips against hers.

"It's a start."She smiled back, weakly.

Hans grinned and kissed her again, deeper.

Elsa began to reciprocate before pulling back. "Not right now. I just need some air."

"Then let me walk with you. The ship must be ready to leave by now."

Elsa looked up at him and Hans extended his hand to her. "C'mon."

She took his hand and he entwined their fingers, the feeling of his missing fingertips still not something she was used to.

Hans led the way as they went onto the deck of the ship.

Elsa was breathing slowly, relishing the unfamiliar smell of the warm sea mixed with something else she couldn't place.

Hans gripped her elbow, turning her so she could see the skyline of the Southern Isles.

She gasped aloud beside him, and clasped her hand over his on her arm. "It's so beautiful."

"Isn't it?" His voice was warm and longing. "I've missed my homeland much since I've been with you."

She didn't respond for a moment, lost in the sunrise over the vast expansive city in front of her.

Hans had seen the sun rise over his home too many times to count but it was Elsa's reaction to the novelty of it that he was so captivated by. "You look so beautiful in this light." It was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Elsa turned to look at him, face glowing pink in the predawn light. "What?"

Hans merely cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around her.

Elsa didn't know how to react or what to do, so she leaned back against him, for the first time in her life feeling at home beside someone else.

"Look, I need to know something." Kristoff cornered Meinhard in the hall one cold morning. "Do you know who I am?"

Hans' brother stared him down gruffly. "Can't say that I do. Queen Elsa introduced you as Duke Christopher, was it?"

"It's Kristoff." He answered, crossing his arms.

Meinhard fixed him with his piercing gaze, cold blue eyes searching his face. "Although, now that you do mention it, you do look familiar."

"The same goes to you. I've been saying it this whole time." Kristoff agreed loudly.

The bearded mountain man looked him up and down. "Did you ever know a woman named Bjorgman?"

" _My last name is Bjorgman!_ "

"So it is." Meinhard's eyes grew wide. "Was Darja your mother then? I've never known any other Bjorgmans and I've been all over the country."

"I don't know. I only remember my mother had hair much darker than mine. And I would always wonder why that was."

"You have her eyes." Meinhard cleared his throat, rubbing at his own weathered face with the heel of his hand as if tears were coming.

"You knew her?" Kristoff was incredulous. He was sure his mother had died fairly unknown by anyone except for his father.

"Boy, I _loved_ her like no other."

Kristoff's eyes grew wide with understanding. "Does that mean you're my father?" His brow furrowed as he realized something. "Where were you when we were attacked by bandits? She died because you weren't there!"

Meinhard's expression softened. "I hadn't known she was pregnant when I left."

"Then why did you leave in the first place?" Kristoff's voice broke and he scrubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, feeling like a little kid again.

"I wanted to stay, don't get me wrong! I just... left because I wanted to keep her safe from harm."

"Well, that worked out well, didn't it?" Kristoff's tone was acidic.

"I regret leaving her everyday of my life, you have no idea what I've gone through."

"I was orphaned and all alone, besides Sven, until I was eight because you were too self centered to even check up on her!"

"Wait, Sven?" Meinhard held up a hand to stop him.

"He's my reindeer." He explained, losing steam quickly, sounding more weary than anything else. "I wandered around trying to find you for years. My mother always told me my father was an ice harvester. So I looked there first."

"Which wasn't too far from the truth." Meinhard answered, voice soft.

"I've found you, after all these years, after I've given up on ever finding my father, and it turns out your brother almost got my wife killed two years ago."

Meinhard's eyes narrowed. "I only heard of Hans' imprisonment and pardon, I'm sorry to hear that. That little whore-son came from bad stock, that's all I can say."

There was a long period of silence before Kristoff began again.

"Anna would love to meet you. And your grandson!"

"I have a grandson." Meinhard's voice was flat, disbelief coursing through his every word.

"He looks like my mother, I thought, when I first saw him. What i can remember of her, at least." Kristoff added, before starting down the hallway toward baby Gunter's room.

"You have good taste in love, boy." Meinhard called after him. "Your Anna reminds me so much of Darja, it's almost like she was alive again."

Kristoff looked over his shoulder at him, stopping in his tracks.

"She'd be proud of you, y'know." Meinhard offered, gently.

"I wish I could say the same for you." Kristoff answered cuttingly, turning back around and starting to walk again.

"I know I'm a coward for running, but I feel bad enough as it is. Must you rub it in my face every chance you get?"

Kristoff was silent a moment, before replying with "Yes. You shouldn't forget her anytime soon."

"I won't." Meinhard promised. "I know I won't. I loved her."

"I did too." His words were stiff, and awkward, like he'd never used them before. "Father."


	17. Shipwreck

Anna was just holding the tiny dark haired infant swaddled in blankets, sitting in an armchair in front of the fire. She looked like she was about to doze off, trying hard to keep her eyes open.

Kristoff walked in slowly. "Anna, you'll never believe what just happened."

Her eyes snapped open and she turned to look at him, fighting a yawn. "What?"

Meinhard was right behind her husband, and she sat up straight. "I-I'm not dressed well enough to have guests, Kristoff!"

"No, you don't understand, Anna. This is my father!"

She turned completely, looking at both tall blondes. "What? Really?"

Kristoff nodded. "Turns out he'd been under our noses this whole time."

"That's Hans' brother, Kristoff." Anna lowered her voice to a whisper, furtively looking at Kristoff, even though his father could easily see them both. "That means you're related to him. You're his nephew."

Kristoff looked from Meinhard to Anna and back again, adding cheerfully. "I know. It's so hard to believe this weird coincidence."

Meinhard had lowered his gaze respectfully, as Anna tightened the dressing gown around her. "The child, Princess. I would just like to see him for a moment."

Her gaze lowered as well, to her son's sleeping face. "Do you want to hold him?"

Meinhard nodded, carefully holding his arms out for Anna to place the baby. She did so, and pulled back. Gunter stirred in his arms, opening his blue green eyes and staring up at the entrancing face of the unfamiliar blonde.

"I guess he likes you. Most of the time he cries around strangers."

Meinhard cracked a tiny smile, offering his finger for the baby to hold. "You were right, boy. He looks just like Darja."

Anna turned to look back at Kristoff again. "Was that your mother's name?"

He nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it.

"Do you mind if I sit, Princess?" Meinhard gestured to a chair by the fire.

"No, go ahead. I need to stretch my legs anyway." Anna allowed it.

She took Kristoff by the arm and went out into the hall for a moment. "What are you doing, bringing him in here? This could be a trap! How do you know he's really your father?"

"Anna, he knows my mother's name. He said I have her eyes."

"Kristoff..." She spoke wearily. "I don't doubt his story. I just.. this is too unbelievable. What if he's working for Hans?"

"Anna, he hates the both of them, Hans and his mother."

"He could just be saying that to gain your trust!"

"I don't trust him. But he is my father."

Anna shook her head. "Kristoff, I left him in there with our son. What if he's a murderer?"

"The only blood on his hands is from leaving my mother to be killed by bandits."

Meinhard cleared his throat from in the nursery. "I can hear you in here. And they weren't bandits, I'm sure of it."

Kristoff stiffened, and squeezed Anna's hand tighter, as they slipped back into the room, Anna closing the door and locking it. "What were they then?"

"That Dowager bitch's hired men."

"What, why would she want to kill Kristoff and his mom?"

It was too ridiculous and far-fetched to be true. Anna didn't believe it for a second.

Kristoff, however, was slightly more open to listening.

"Because of me."

"Isn't she your mother? Why would she do that?"Anna demanded to know, still incredulous.

The very thought of Jekaterina being his mother sickened , he spat. "That whore murdered my twin, just to get on the throne."

Anna cringed at the harshness of his language. "Does anyone else know?"

He scoffed. "Like they'd believe a madman who ran like a coward from everything?"

Anna bit her lip, an action she copied from her sister. "And you just showed up here? Why? So you can warn Elsa of some treachery?"

"I had only heard my brother had married, but yes, I guess you could say that. I didn't want any woman ending up like Darja."

"Do you think Queen Elsa will have an attempt on her life?"Kristoff asked, looking at him.

Meinhard shrugged one arm, cradling Gunter tighter. "Couldn't say for sure. If my brother has changed in any way from how I've heard he was when he was arrested, maybe if he ripped himself away from the conniving hag, he'd not let anything happen to her."

"How can you be so sure?" Anna asked, shocked.

"Did you see how he looked at your sister? That's love if I've ever seen it."

Anna closed her mouth, blinking as if she had been dealt a blow. _Hans had always wanted Elsa, hadn't he? She was just the spare_.

 

Elsa was with Hans in the castle, when they received notice the remains of a ship flying the royal colors had been found smashed against the rocks off the coast, which was only a distance of a mile or so. Riding Sitron and a pale gelding called Caesar, with Hans and Elsa on each respectively, got them there within the hour, given the terrain they had to cross.

Coming upon it, Hans confirmed it was indeed the ship his brothers had embarked on when leaving Arendelle two months ago. Somehow it had not reached land until now, despite the fact that Arendelle was only a week long journey away, or two weeks if the conditions were bad enough.

Leaving his horse, Hans hurried to the wreckage where a few sailors and guards were searching for survivors. Elsa soon followed after him.

Spotting a few bodies laid out on the soft damp sand, Hans feared the worst. The Queen caught up to him and gripped his wrist, to keep him from going too close.

"Hans, wait.. Those might be your brothers."

"Don't you think I know that?" He wriggled out of her grip.

"Hans, no, stop!" She chased after him, lifting her skirt so it didn't trail in the sand. "You might not want to see them like that!"

Elsa finally caught up to her husband, grabbing at his arm.

All of the bodies recovered were those of his siblings. The rest of the crew, it seemed, had vanished or were eaten by fish.

Hans ran among the search party like in a manic fury.

"Where is Hjalmerr? Where is my brother?"

"He hadn't washed up, my Prince. Neither had his family."

Hans' expression crumpled when he heard that and he covered his face with his hands, sinking to his knees in the sand. He had owed Hjalmerr his life. That man was his favorite brother, the eldest brother he'd ever known.

Elsa put her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Were there any survivors?" She looked up at the sailors.

"Only one." A brawny blonde deckhand spoke up. "If you follow me, I can take you to him."

Elsa pulled Hans to stand, gripping his arm in both of hers. "Come on, the man just said there was a survivor."

The deckhand, Edward, he callously identified himself as, led them to where a shivering mass of blankets was seated on a rock. "This is him."

At the sound of his voice, the mound lifted its head to reveal Hans' youngest brother.

"Vendel?!" Hans' voice broke as he ran at his half-brother, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. The Albino's trembling only grew worse, and he began babbling frantically about dragons and horses riding along the water.

"Vendel, it's me!" Hans held him out at arms length but he didn't seem to recognize him.

Only when Elsa came into view did Vendel respond, leaping up and throwing off the blankets. "My queen! My lady!"

Vendel prostrated himself at her feet, clinging to her legs. "You'll save us from the burning death."

Elsa stared at him before looking to Hans. "I.."

"The seawater's likely driven him mad, my Queen." Edward, the deckhand spoke up from behind them.

"Leave us." She commanded the sailor, and crouched in the sand, taking Vendel's hands which were so like her own, albeit rougher and larger. "Tell me what happened."

"Fog, it was the fog." Big tears start rolling down his cheeks and he squeezed her hands. "The fog was like fire. There were shapes in it! Horses! So many stampeding horses!" Vendel had wrapped his long arms around her, sobbing against her shoulder.

"Hans?" She called out to him and he came from where he was identifying the bodies. "I think I know what happened to the ship."

She was smoothing back the Albino's hair, futilely trying to soothe him. "There was a storm, and it was too foggy to see."

Hans looked up at the deckhands and sailors. "There was no fog around, we would have seen it."

Elsa bit her lip, as Vendel's trembling ceased. He had fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder like a child.

"Maybe he was hallucinating, and they were just stranded." She offered, unsure.

Hans called one of the deckhands over to fetch Vendel and bring him to the castle. Of course, Edward the deckhand was the one to volunteer.

Elsa let him go, before looking to Hans. "Perhaps we should go too."

"No, I want to stay here with the bodies."

She touched his scarred cheek. "They're in good hands here, Hans. Please, come with me to your home. I don't like seeing you like this."

Hans met her gaze hesitantly. "Elsa—"

She kissed him suddenly, looking up at him, breathless. "I insist you take me to your castle."

He closed his eyes to keep from meeting her eyes and letting her see how red and puffy his own eyes were, and sighed, looking dejected. "Yes, Elsa."


	18. Accident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, nor have I ever worked for or with Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

"What a pity your brothers were not here to welcome you and your bride home, hm?" Jekaterina was lounging in the throne like a cat, a bejeweled goblet in her hand. Her long nails were painted darker red, more black than anything else, and they sparkled like diamonds in the light from the stained glass windows behind the throne.

"They're dead, mother." Gone was Hans' grief, all that was left was an empty feeling and a burning urge for revenge.

"Ah, so they are." Jekaterina leaned toward him, placing her goblet down harder than necessary. A bit of a viscous red liquid that was most definitely not wine splashed up over the rim and dropped down the side, soaking into the delicately inlaid pattern on the cup. "A storm, was it?" She raised one immaculately plucked eyebrow, and lifted the glass to her lips, licking the drip along the side slowly in a lascivious display, her tongue completely red, matching her lips, instead of a normal pink color.

The look on Hans' face betrayed a feeling of hurt and the clench of his fists showed just how angry he was. "Mother. My brothers were killed—"

"In some freak accident, my son."

He shut his mouth, looking away, knowing better than to defy his mother or even worse, disagree. "Yes."

There was no reason to believe it was anything but. To do so would be folly, and dangerous to both him and Elsa.

"Do not fret, моя любовь. Enjoy yourselves, this is your honeymoon."

Hans relaxed, his fingers flexing before releasing. "Yes, Mother. I will do that."

"Why don't you go riding with your bride?" Jekaterina suggested, smirking and showing one sharp incisor inlaid with a ruby when she did so. "The Queen would enjoy seeing the land around the castle."

The Prince considered this for a moment. "She does seem to like riding."

"Good. I have a wedding gift for her waiting in the stables."

Hans led Elsa out to the stables, telling her to keep her eyes closed until she got there. "Alright, you can open your eyes now."

She slowly did as he bade, before gasping. "Hans! I-I—!"

Elsa began stepping toward the beautiful silver Arabian stallion.

"He's for you." Hans presented her with the reins.

She held out a hand to touch the horse's nose. It snorted and pressed toward her touch, eager for her to pet it.

"I think he likes you." The prince let out a soft chuckle.

"He needs a name first." Elsa began stroking it's face.

"How about Esgar?" He offered, moving behind her.

"That's perfect." Elsa turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Want me to help you into the saddle?" Hans offered his hand.

She gingerly took it and allowed him to help her. Elsa was glad she had worn her riding clothes instead of a dress as she swung her leg over the saddle. Even if Hans were her husband she still needed to maintain some sense of propriety.

Hans' own horse, Sitron, was already saddled and ready to go.

"Shall we go for a race around the castle grounds?" He flashed her a grin.

"Ready for a rematch then?" She met his expression with a challenging smile. "I'll leave you in the dust."

"I'd like to see you try!" He kicked at Sitron's sides and zoomed forward. Elsa did the same to Esgar and followed after him closely.

The Dowager followed closely, watching them from a pool of water in a shallow basin, magically. She waved her elegant hand over it, and the image changed to be from the point of view of a snake. Jekaterina smirked widely, and with a flick of her finger, had the snake strike at Elsa's horse's legs.

Esgar began to buck wildly, whinnying in fear.

Elsa was having trouble controlling the stallion.

Hans had leapt from his horse to try and grab the reins to calm it. The prince was barely a foot away when the horse bucked particularly hard and Elsa was sent flying forward through the air.

"Elsa!" Hans ran forward as if to try to catch her, helpless as he watched her hit the ground, her head making an unmistakably loud cracking sound against a boulder that hadn't been there only a second ago.

"Elsa, please be okay.." He ran to her side, as Esgar galloped away from them. "Elsa, say something!"

Hans scooped her up gently in his arms, and turned her over so he could see her face. Blood was streaming from a gash on her forehead, already starting to trickle down her nose. At least she was breathing, which Hans silently prayed she would remain.

"Elsa!" He called out to her, but she didn't respond. "No, I'm not losing you! Elsa, stay with me.." He carried her onto his horse, before climbing on behind her, riding off back to the castle.

She hadn't roused in the entire time he was sitting at her side.

Hans had burst into the castle, muddy and sweating, frantic and carrying Elsa in his arms like a ragdoll. He had yelled for someone to help him, and the guards ran to him. One of them took her from him, and brought her to the bedroom she had been sharing with her husband. The servants cleaned and dressed her wound but she hadn't awoken. Since that moment, he hadn't moved from that spot.

Hans was dozing, arms crossed over his chest, as the Dowager swished into the room. That woke him up for a second. "Mother?"

"It's good to see you are awake." She turned to where Elsa was lying, unconscious. "The same could not be said for her."

Hans leapt to his feet. "Is the doctor coming?"

"Not tonight but tomorrow morning." Jekaterina stood tall in front of her son. "But before that, you need to do one thing."

A shiver went down his spine, and he looked to Elsa. "What do you want me to do?"

"Make sure she does not wake." Jekaterina picked up a pillow, handing it to her son. "Press it to young Elsa's face until she stops moving."

"What? N-no, I'm not doing it!" Hans refused, shoving the pillow away. "I'm not killing my wife! I love her, Mother!"

"Then let me do it." The Dowager shoved her son to the side with supernatural strength, and he crashed into his chair.

She began to press the pillow to her face, and Hans yelled, "No!"

He fumbled at his desk for something to stop her with and found a letter opener made in the shape of a small sword. "Stop!" He ran at her with the letter opener, burying it to the hilt in her back. Something tar-like and warm splattered outward from within all over his hands and shirt and he dropped the tool.

Jekaterina screamed so loud the windows cracked, and Hans had to cover his ears before they bled. A smoky substance was billowing out from the slit the letter opener made in her flesh, instead of blood. The letter opener had fallen to the floor.

Hans crawled on hands and knees to get the tool, before standing up and facing his mother again. But instead of her being where she was, the room was empty except for Elsa, still unmoving like a porcelain doll. A cold wind was blowing through the broken glass of the windows, and his bride began to stir behind him.

He dropped the letter opener from his shaking hands. "Elsa..."

She made a soft noise, touching her head and wincing. "Anna? Where an I?"

Hans flew to her bedside, taking her hand in both of his black stained ones. "Elsa, are you alright? I thought you were going to be dead for sure."

"N-no... I was cold, for the first time I was so cold, and I tried so hard to wake up but I couldn't." She hugged him tightly.

"Elsa, I'm so sorry.."

"You brought me here after I fell from that horse, didn't you? You could have easily let me die.." Elsa was staring at him. "But you made sure I was safe."

"Yes.. I did."

Elsa cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "Thank you. I.. I did not believe you or your meaning when you had first apologized but I know you meant it. And I'm sorry." Tears sprung to her eyes and froze on her face. "I should have trusted you."

Hans kissed her cheek instead of her forehead and held her close. "It's okay now. Nothing's going to hurt you again. I promise."

He got a good look at the letter opener lying on the floor, still sticky with the black muck that ran through his mother's veins instead of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> моя любовь (moya lyubov - my love, a creepy thing to say to your son)


	19. Arendelle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving Frozen, I have not and will probably never work for Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

They had arranged for a ship back to Arendelle as soon as Jekaterina had disappeared. Hans had no interest in remaining where she could appear again at any moment, and now that he knew his own mother was plotting against them, Hans knew they wouldn't be safe. Jekaterina wouldn't be gone for long, even if she had vanished from his bedroom in a puff of smoke with an inhuman shriek. Venturing back to Arendelle could at least buy them time, and the castle would be better equipped to handle the return of the Dowager.

Elsa was being looked over by the oldest nurse she had ever seen. The woman honestly looked like a hairless cat, but she seemed kind enough. Hans was standing by the door, along with two remarkably large guards. Knowing she was safe at home in Arendelle, Elsa was relaxing more than usual. It also helped that Anna was in the room beside her.

"You're very lucky you didn't hurt yourself worse in that fall, or fell ill on the ship here." The nurse clucked and shook her head. "Not good for young mothers to be restless like that."

"What" Elsa sat up straighter.

"Look at you, child. Your hips have widened, you're glowing. I thought you already knew" She patted Elsa's stomach. "I'm surprised you hadn't noticed already, given how far along you look."

"What?" The Queen covered her stomach with her hands. "Am I, really?"

"Have you been getting your cycles?"

"N-no, but—"

"And you've consummated your marriage, of course.."

Actually, she hadn't. Elsa had only shared her bed with Hans in that way once. A month before the wedding. That was almost three and a half months ago. None of them had even noticed in all this time?

"There you have it. Congratulations, your grace."

Elsa's eyes were as wide as saucers as she caught Hans' gaze across the room. He looked just as surprised as she was.

"This child must be a hardy one. It's been through being thrown from a horse and traveling across an ocean before ever being born." The nurse kept talking.

Anna jumped up, crossing the room to where her sister sat, and took Elsa's hands. "I'm so happy for you!" Her sister only looked dazed. She hugged Elsa tightly.

Hans stood, and waited for Anna to finish hugging her before taking the Queen's gloved hands and bringing them to his lips. Elsa pressed her lips together in a thin line, still anxious.

"All of you, please leave. I'd like to speak to the Queen alone." Hans held her gaze as he kissed each fingertip, before sliding the gloves off her hands, finger by finger. Elsa's face was warm and her lips parted as she watched him kiss her palm, before he started pressing open mouthed kisses to her wrist, and up her arm.

"Hans.." She breathed, chest beginning to heave.

"Yes, my love?" He looked up at her.

"I'm worried."

Hans pulled back from her arm. "Why?"

"I.. What if this baby comes out like me?"

"It'll be a stunningly beautiful child, then." He'd begun to kiss her shoulder.

"Hans, stop, I'm serious. What if this baby comes out with powers like mine?"

"We'll do what your parents didn't."

Elsa stiffened, voice worried. "What would that be?"

"We won't die young in some shipwreck you might have caused."

She turned to stare at him, hurt. "Hans, that is cruel!"

"Would you rather die the same age your mother did?"

She drew back her hand to slap him but he caught her wrist, squeezing it hard enough to hurt, anger evident in his voice.

"I have no intention of dying young, Elsa. If you want to do that, go right ahead. I won't stop you."

"Yes, you would." Elsa's voice was strained. "The same way I've saved your life."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have saved my life in the first place." Hans was yelling now, temper rising. "My family is dying like flies and my mother tried to kill the both of us, but of course what if our baby is a freak?"

Elsa glared daggers at him, cold anger coursing through her like a river. "If my child is a freak then so am I."

"It's better than being a monster." Hans held out his arms as if daring her to try and hit him again, his temper gone as soon as it arrived. He sounded tired. "Would you rather it be like me? A murderous bastard who would do anything for the throne?"

"This child isn't a bastard." Elsa covered her stomach with her hands, as if shielding it from the accusations.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry. Were we married when it was conceived?" He turned to look away from her, hands gripping the mantle of the fireplace across the room. "I remember the only time we'd even gone that far was the morning after the night I put you to bed after you passed out."

Elsa's face grew hot. "Then I guess the child really is a bastard."

"Of course he is." Hans whirled to face her. "I can't believe we've already begun a family and you've never said you loved me."

"Because I don't!" Elsa's brow furrowed. "Are you telling me to lie to you?"

Hans stepped back, and sunk down as if he had been punched in the gut. "Would you be lying if you said it now?"

Elsa looked at him wearily, and sighed. "Yes."

"Say it anyway."

She closed her eyes. "I..."

Hans lifted her hands to his lips, kissing each and every part of them, from the knuckles to her fingertips, which elicited a shiver from her..

"Hans, my husband. I love you."

He exhaled slowly. "I love you as well. More than life itself, more than any crown or throne."

She turned her gaze up at him, surprised. "Do you mean that?"

Hans released her hands. "Elsa, I've given up so much for you. My own country, my mother, my brothers."

She was shocked to hear these words coming from his mouth. "You didn't say you were going to lie too."

"I wasn't." A jolt shot through Elsa's body, twisting an ache through her chest. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I need you to know." He cupped her face in his hands, before kissing her deeply. Elsa reciprocated in kind, hands gripping his shoulders as Hans pulled her tighter against him. Elsa smoothed her fingertips against his scarred cheek, kissing him deeper, as if begging to be touched.

Hans pressed her back against his desk, beginning to unlace her dress as deftly as he could, given the fact that his fingers didn't move as easily as they used to.

Elsa helped him pull her skirt up and out of the way as he felt beneath it with his free hand. "Hans, please..."

The Queen's thighs were trembling as he stroked the milky whiteness of them.

"You're so beautiful." Hans kissed her again; working a finger inside her. Almost automatically, she began to rock back against his touch, rougher than necessary, so wet already.

"Please, just touch me.. I need to feel the warmth of your hands on my skin." She pushed the unlaced bodice of her dress lower, and took Hans' other hand, leading it to her bared chest. "Hahhnn.. Just touch me. Don't say anything."

Elsa busied herself with unlacing the Prince's trousers, palming his erection with a practiced precision before pulling him free of the cloth prison and sliding her hands around to his hips, guiding his thrusts to the very center of her, the moist heat that needed to be filled, so urgently, right this very second.

She cried out when he sunk into her fully, fingernails digging into his scalp. "Ah, H-Hans.."

He kissed her desperately, and she responded, biting his lips and moaning into his mouth as he began to roll his hips, slowly at first, but Elsa guided his pelvis, making sure his thrusts were hard and grinding. She needed to feel him deep inside her, to feel warm inside.

"Please.." He squeezed her breast hard enough to mark and she bared her teeth, hissing out a "Yes," of pleasure and pain.

The Prince grabbed hold of her thigh with his free hand, still rolling his hips between them the way Elsa directed the motion.

She rested her chin on his shoulder, sweeping her arms around his neck as his thrusts grew harder and more erratic, almost painful at times.

"Oh, yes, please me.." Elsa moaned into his ear, before biting the lobe hard enough to cause him to wince and thrust particularly hard in response.

She tossed her head back, crying out in pure pleasure as he kissed and marked his way down the line of her throat, hand coming up to squeeze her breast again as he kissed her near-translucent skin, beginning to bite her chest hard enough to leave bruises that would last for at least a few days.

Hans' thrusts grew more frenzied, before he came, biting her breast hard enough for it to draw blood. He had come inside her, she could feel it along the pitiful last few thrusts that never came close enough to filling her the way he had been.

"I still need more." She breathed, guiding his fingers between her legs. "Three, this time." Elsa directed his fingers inside as she began to ride his hand, forcing his fingers deep. "A-almost-!" Elsa's grip on his wrist tightened exponentially as she herself came, gasping and trembling and panting hard as she spasmed around his fingers stretching her.

She collapsed against his desk, looking up at him. 

Hans kissed her, as soon as they had caught their breath. "I love you."

Elsa didn't respond right away, she only looked up at him. She inhaled sharply, as if about to speak, and Hans watched her expression to wait for her to talk.

"How did you know how my parents died?"

He touched her cheek. It wasn't what he expected her to say, and he deflated a little. "Anna told me the first time I met her. But I'd already known."

She looked away. "News spreads fast throughout the kingdoms."

He smoothed a hand through his hair. "That is true."

"Was that when your mother concocted her plan?"

Hans looked up at her, startled. "Don't.. talk about her, not here.." It was a silly superstition, _speak of the devil and the devil shall appear_.

Elsa took it a completely different way. She sat up. "Is it because we just rutted like animals?"

"What? No! She tried to get me to kill you, Elsa. I don't want to think of her."

She stiffened. "I know. But that's in the past."

"No, she tried to get me to smother you while you were unconscious!"

Elsa stared, horrified. "What?"

"I couldn't do it. So I stabbed her.. With a letter opener."

Her eyes widened. "You did that for me?"

He nodded slowly, looking down at his hands. "Yes."

"I.. I guess I should say thank you." She looked away.

Hans let out a shuddery sigh. "I did it for the both of us."


	20. Nightmares

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything involving Frozen, have not and will probably never work for Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Hans woke up beside his wife, for the first time in several days.

Elsa had gotten into the habit of sleepwalking, which he assumed was something new since she'd never done it before. Normally she would be gone before he woke, but not this time.

She silently got up and dressed, eyes open as if she were awake, but she couldn't have been, she was like a statue. Hans followed behind her after dressing as well, just to see where she was going.

Elsa led him, quietly padding on bare feet, out of the castle, through the courtyard and up through the countryside, to beside the waterfall where Anna had taken him so long ago.

"Elsa.." He made a grab for her arm. She shook him off as if he were made of paper, before kneeling before what looked like a blooming black rose and presenting her wrist to the thorns. From what he could see, it looked like she had visited this cursed plant several times already.

Watching her, knowing he couldn't stop her, Hans let out a gasp of horror as she pierced her blue pulsing vein and allowed fresh blood to begin to drip down her hand and onto the rose. He made another attempt to stop her, and this time she did not resist.

Her eyes were completely filled in with black, and he wondered why he did not see that earlier, as black liquid flowed like tears down her white cheeks. Elsa bared newly sharpened teeth – Hans absently wondered when she had gotten those too – and dove at him, knocking him into the pooled water beside the bank where the rose sprouted. She scratched at his face and blood, he wasn't sure whose, began to leak into the water, clouding it.

His face and lungs burned in agony and he raised his hands to defend himself. Elsa then sank her teeth into his throat, holding him down under the water as it began to freeze. He was struggling, unable to breathe, water filling his lungs the same way his life's blood was spilling out from his torn trachea into the freezing water above him. His fingernails tore pointlessly at her unmarred face, until those too froze and turned black.

Hans jolted awake with a cry, feeling his face and throat. They seemed to be whole and unhurt, besides the scar on his cheek that had near fully healed now. Beside him lay Elsa, sleeping soundly, the sheets wrapped around her chest. Her bare shoulder was littered with kiss-marks where he could see, and Hans let out a sigh, brushing his sweaty hair back from his face and trying to relax. _It was only a dream_.

He touched her mussed hair, just for a second, his hand trembling. She stirred and opened her eyes. They were perfectly blue, the same they always were.

Hans leaned in and kissed her, before pulling back. "Just a nightmare, Elsa.. Nothing more."

She sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. "I know nightmares, I've had plenty."

He let out a shaky breath. "None like this."

"Tell me then." Elsa shifted, turning to face him.

"I... You would be upset if I did."

"Did you have another dream about your brothers?"

Hans stared at her before shaking his head. "No. It was about you. But it's nothing. I know it was just a dream."

Elsa draped her arms around him, climbing into his lap. "I'm not going anywhere, Hans. The Dowager won't get rid of me that easily."

A small smile crept across his face and he returned the embrace. "I wouldn't let that happen anyway."

She lay against him, back against his chest, as she took his hands, placing them gently against her stomach. "You have this baby to worry about too."

Hans kissed the top of her head, and let her cover his hands with her own. "I know."

Elsa smiled. Hans couldn't see it, but that was a good thing. She didn't want him to see how happy she was with all of this domesticity. Elsa had told him she didn't love him, which wasn't entirely the truth.

"Elsa?"

"Hm?" She drowsily looked up at him.

"I love you.."

She lay her head back against him, not responding particularly articulately. "Mmhm."

He leaned down and kissed her, far more tenderly than he ever had before. Her hand flew up to his cheek and she held him there, letting the kiss linger.

Hans pulled back after a long moment. "Elsa, you're smiling."

She opened her eyes, making an effort to frown. "I have feelings just like everyone else. Maybe I just think you look better upside down?"

Hans let himself chuckle at that. "And you say my jokes are bad?"

She began to laugh before she pulled away, clutching her stomach.

He climbed out of bed, worried. "What's wrong?"

"M-my stomach hurts, it's nothing.."

"Elsa.."

"I promise." She held up her hand to silence him. "It's nothing."

He relaxed, and lay back against the bed.

Elsa stood up, both hands resting on the gentle swell of her stomach. The pain seemed to have diminished. "It feels good to be home."

He tensed up, looking out the bedroom window at the bay. It was still dark. "It feels good to be away from my mother."

Elsa shot him a look, before shuddering. "You've been cooped up in here for too long. I half think you're going mad."

He scoffed. "Or are you just getting sick of me?"

The Queen scowled. "I mean it, Hans. Sometimes you scare me with your worrying."

"Maybe it's good that you're afraid of me."

Elsa clenched her fists and closed her eyes, letting out a soft breath to calm herself. "I'm sure the horses would enjoy your company."

"Unlike you, is that it?" Hans hissed, irritable from his dream still.

"You're upset, I understand. We should go back to bed."

The first thing Hans knew was that he had to be dreaming. Jekaterina wasn't in any way part snake. The next thing he knew was that this wasn't an ordinary dream. He didn't even remember falling asleep.

"M-mother?"

Jekaterina smirked, alluring even as she was terrifying. "Would you call me that even now?" She touched his cheek, elongated fingernails scraping his sideburn and scars.

"What are you talking about?" Hans felt fifteen years old again, his heart pounding.

"You're the spitting image of your father, my son." She lifted his chin with a spiked finger. "So handsome and strong.."

He swallowed hard and the Dowager's eyes followed the line of his throat, before her hand slipped against his chest, slowly going lower to where Hans could not deny the attention was getting to him. "Mother.. Stop this insanity, please."

"Do you honestly believe I would give you up this easily to that trollop of yours?" She dug her nails into his flesh, too-red lips pursed so close to his mouth.

"Stop.."

Jekaterina froze, staring up at him. Her gaze was scorching. "Stop? You dare to order me?"

"Mother, that's not what I meant. Leave me be, please." He even sounded as if he were a child again.

"You ungrateful wretch!" She slapped him across the face, causing him to fall to his knees. When he managed to sit up, clutching where his scars had opened and begun to bleed again, she was no longer part snake. She was also completely naked.

Hans forced his gaze away, even though he knew it was just a dream. "Mother. This is not how you should behave around your son."

"Oh, my darling Hans, do you really think this is what it's about, a mother and son?" She began to stroke his face through the blood.

"If I cannot have you, no one can." She thrust her hand through his chest as he screamed.

He woke up with a jolt, still crying out. Familiarly sticky, he relaxed upon realizing where he was, sunlight streaming in through the window. Elsa was looking at him, seated in an armchair as if waiting for him to wake up. "You pushed me out of bed with your tossing and turning, Hans. I think you're too worried about me."

He leaned forward, running his hands through his hair. "I guess you're right.."

She sighed and stood up, sitting on the bed beside him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Hans shook his head. "No, I just want to get some fresh air."

Elsa watched him dress, and step out of the room.

Meinhard was waiting for him, outside, strapping on his boots. "Heard you were having marital troubles, brother. Sound travels well in an empty castle."

He scoffed, "The servants and their loose lips too, no doubt. The way it's always been."

His brother shook his head and let out a derisive laugh. "Same as its always been, I should have known you'd say something like that."

"It's not Elsa.. It's these nightmares, and they seem too real to be anything but real life. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"That sounds like a curse, boy. I've seen many a curse in my day, and looks like you've got a big one laid on your sweet bride there."

Hans' eyes narrowed. "I don't believe in curses."

"Hm? Don't you?" Meinhard tilted his flask to his lips, taking a draught.

"No, I don't." Hans crossed his arms over his chest.

His brother offered him a draft and he accepted, feeling the burn of alcohol down his throat.

"Your bride, for instance?"

"She's not cursed. Not that I know of."

Meinhard frowned. "Hm." He tossed his head back, finishing the flash.

"How many other people have you seen cursed?" Hans gaped at him, flexing his hands in their gloves.

"In total? Three. Two of them were by spurned lovers one was by an enemy."

"And how did it end?"

Meinhard stuffed his flask into a moleskin bag around his neck. "Every one of them died."

"How is that supposed to help me?!" Hans demanded, shaking him.

"There's a way to stop it, but I don't think you'd like it."

"Tell me, damn you!"

"You kill the person who put the curse on them."

Hans stiffened, feeling faint all of a sudden. "What if it's me?"

Meinhard shoved him hard. "Have you been meddling with witchcraft?"

"N-no! I just–What if I inadvertently caused it?"

"Unlikely." He shook his head. "Unless some part of you had some tie to powerful magic."

"And how would you know this?"

Meinhard stared him down, full in the face. "I've had my fair share of dealing with witchcraft, both being on the giving and receiving end. Niklaus would have a conniption if he knew."

Hans looked away and Meinhard forced his gaze back, jabbing his chest hard. "It taints you, boy. It gets in your blood and messes you up."

"Like my mother." Hans added, simply, letting his hands drop.

"The whore is a witch then, isn't she? I knew it." Meinhard let go of his brother's lapel, letting him fall back.

Hans rubbed at his throat where his collar cut into it. "I'll kill her myself. I've been meaning to do it for years. Ever since she sent those men to kill Darja."

"This isn't the first time then."

"No, I think she's getting craftier."

"Did you dream of her before she killed your.. lover?"

Meinhard's eyes grew wide and he looked at him. "Yes. She was younger then. I.." He looked down at where he was wringing his coarse hands guiltily. "I had a moment of weakness. It was only a dream after all."

"She tried to seduce me. I refused her and she.. stabbed my chest with her fingernails." Hans shoulders sunk.

"You're a stronger man than I."

"Of course I am. Have you met my wife?"

"She's beautiful."

"And headstrong."

Meinhard laughed. "Maybe it takes one to know one."

Hans shoved him, half seriously. "Elsa aggravates and worries me like no other."

"Sounds like love, baby brother." Meinhard teased.

"And you'd know what that is, since your own lover meant less to you than a dream about your own stepmother!" Hans turned to his brother, growing defensive at the mention of Elsa and love in the same sentence.

"Don't you dare say that to me! If I had known she would be killed, I'd take it back!"

"But you can't, can you?"

"You're one to talk, brother! You tried to kill your wife and her sister!"

"I regret that more than you'd know!"

"You're a filthy liar and you know it."

Hans ran at his brother, taking the giant by surprise as that was the only way he could knock him down.

Meinhard didn't even try to fight back because he knew his brother wouldn't be able to hurt him as much as he would have if he hit Hans back with his massive hands.

The prince fell back, breathing hard. "C'mon, hit me. You know I deserve it."

"I'm not touching you."

"Hit me." Hans looked exhausted.

"No. Get off of me." he shoved him aside and Hans simply fell over, rolling onto his back beside him.

"I'm sorry.." He sighed softly. "Why am I always sorry?"

Meinhard glanced at him. "You've done a lot of things to be sorry for."

"Have I? Sometimes I don't know anymore."

The mountain man kept watching his half brother's expression. "Were you ever aware of your actions?"

Hans didn't move, looking up at the sky. "I suppose so, since I regret what I've done, but I don't remember ever making the decision to try to kill anyone. O-or even the voyage to Arendelle."

Meinhard tsked. "Jekaterina must have bewitched you."

Hans' fists clenched painfully tight. "I trusted her."

"You had no reason not to."

"She betrayed me."

"No. She never cared for you, even when you were small. You're only a pawn in her game, same as your wife or anyone else." Meinhard sighed shakily. "I managed to pry myself free but at great cost."

"Are you implying I'll have to do the same?" Hans sat up.

"Like you said, Queen Elsa is obstinate. She won't go down without a fight, and now that the bitch knows you're onto her, she would try to wipe you both out in one swipe."

Hans ran his fingers through his hair, playing with the one lock of pure white as he thought, biting his lip.

"We'd have to take her out first."

"Do you think we could?"

Meinhard sat up as well, bits of grass snagged in his long hair. "She's strong, but together we could manage."

"That's comforting to hear." Hans added sarcastically.

"Would you rather I say we just give up and die?"

"No."

"Then hush and we'll discuss this again later." Meinhard stood, towering over his half brother, and brushed the dirt and grass off of himself from where he took a tumble.

Hans watched him walk off, before standing up as well. He felt a little better, now that he knew Meinhard was on his side. Looking up at the window above him, he could see Elsa watching. He waved and grinned up at her, feeling a weight lift from his chest, before going back into the castle.

"What happened to your wrists?" Hans grabbed Elsa's hand as soon as he saw her waiting for him, examining the pristine bandages tightly wound around her forearms.

"I don't remember. I bumped them, or something." She jerked her hands back. "Its nothing life threatening."

"Elsa—"

"Hans, I'm completely fine, look at them. It's only a scratch I received outside. I've cleaned it and everything."

He gripped her wrists tight enough to hurt, as he remembered his dream. "Hans. Don't look at me that way.."

The prince pulled her tightly against him in a sweet embrace, whispering against her ear. "Elsa, I've figured out how to get rid of my mother for once and for all."


	21. Icebreaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own, never have owned and never will own any part of Frozen. I do not, have not and will probably never work for Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Hans had not slept in three days, unable to face the nightmares. He looked absolutely terrible, and what made it worse was that he had grown more irritable, and Elsa couldn't take it anymore. She had sent him out to the stables, where he had begun pacing, waiting for his half brother to show up.

Meinhard ambled up to him. "You look like shit, brother."

"I know." Hans scoffed, messing around with a rope on the wall next to one of the stalls.

The mountain man laughed and pet one of the horses, a sleek gray mare.

"Ready to begin preparations or should I let you nap?"

Hans shoved him. "Shut up. I'm ready."

Meinhard had talked Kristoff into helping them, and he had been walking beside his father. They needed all the hands they could get, and time had to be running out.

It was undeniable that the weather was growing cold faster than normal, but none of them expected the area around the castle to be near frozen solid when they emerged from the stables, after only an hour of time.

It had to have been Elsa. There was no other explanation.

Anna was out for some fresh air, standing and waiting for Kristoff to return to her by the gate. Kristoff waved to her, and ran forward to meet his wife. As if on cue a low rumble sounded through the air, echoing ominously.

Anna screamed, as the ice cracked beneath the man's feet. "Kristoff!"

He looked up at her, and scrambled back to try and get off the breaking ice. It began to crumble beneath him and he fell into the freezing water with a dull splash and sunk fast.

Meinhard ran forward to the hole in the ice, sliding forward on his stomach and reaching down into the water.

Kristoff grabbed at his hand with both of his, floundering in the icy water.

"C'mon!" He hoisted him slowly out of the water, inch by inch. There was a sickening grinding sound and then Kristoff screamed. The slurry had frozen around his legs, trapping them as the thick glacial layer began to press closer together, crushing them between the pieces of ice. A broken sob erupted from his mouth as the snow around the glacier began to turn pink.

Meinhard pulled him out with all of his strength. Kristoff couldn't feel his legs anymore, so his father had to carry him, bridal style, his legs frozen.

"Go get somebody! A guard or someone!" Meinhard yelled to his brother.

Hans' expression was one of shock as he ran back toward the castle, stumbling over a rough patch of ice before catching himself and earning scraped up hands and knees for his trouble. "Guards! Somebody!"

Kristoff was pale, his face twisted in agony.

"Oh, no, please.. Kristoff, stay awake, stay with me please.." Anna kneeled at his side, where the blood had frozen.

"I.. I'm trying. It hurts." She took his hand, squeezing it tight. Kristoff winced as Meinhard expertly tied off his mangled legs so he didn't bleed out, squeezing Anna's hand loosely.

Hans didn't find any guards. It was as if they had all vanished at once, which he knew was suspicious. Instead, he nearly ran into Elsa.

She was rushing to the entrance, after she heard Anna scream. "What happened?"

"Her husband—the ice—quickly!"

Elsa hurried faster. "The ice? What do you mean?"

She gasped out loud upon seeing outside. "It's frozen."

"From you, I'd assume."

Elsa stared, eyes wide. "I did this...?"

Hans didn't answer.

She bowed her head and rushed to her sister and Kristoff, not realizing the snow was red all around them until she had gotten closer.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I didn't mean to—"

"Apologies won't bring his legs back." Meinhard's voice was gruff, as he lifted Kristoff's arm over his shoulder. Hans helped, lifting his other side.

"Now just make sure his legs stop bleeding." Elsa directed them.

Anna was too busy fretting over Kristoff's trembling form to really help. She was also getting in the way of carrying him inside.

"Bring him in. Anna, make a fire. He needs to be warmed up before we tend to his legs." Elsa's voice was shaky, and she took a second to steady it, taking a deep breath as she put her hands to her stomach, to calm the fluttering inside.

Once he began to warm up, Kristoff stirred. "Anna?" His wife was beside him, bandaging what was left of his mutilated legs below the knees. Her hands were steady, despite the horrific damage done to him.

"I-I'm right here.." She finished the bandaging and pulled his gloves off, squeezing his cold hands in both of her own.

Elsa was standing in the doorway, waiting for them to finish and gathering her strength for what she knew would be quite a hurdle to overcome. "Anna.. I don't think you should be here for this next part."

Her eyes grew wide. "Why not?"

"Just.. Trust me. You won't like it. I think you should wait with Gunter."

Anna released his hands and pulled back. "I'll be waiting for you, Kristoff." She kissed him carefully, before backing out of the room.

Elsa looked to Meinhard and Hans. "Lock the door, one of you."

She faced Kristoff lying on the bed. "This is going to hurt. I'm going to need both of you to hold him down."

Hans stared at Elsa. Her wan face was determined, but she still was very much pregnant, and had bloody ice down her front. "I don't think you should do this, the way you are."

The Queen shot him a look. "I'm not dying, Hans. Now, I caused this. I should fix it."

"Elsa—"

"I am tired of you thinking I can't do anything because I'm pregnant! I'm more than capable of handling this." She looked at him, and then at Meinhard who was steadying Kristoff's legs. "Ready?"

Anna could hear her husband's screams of agony all the way across the hall. Gunter, thankfully, had fallen asleep and remained so. She clutched him close to her chest, head bowed as she tried to shut out the awful sound.

When the screaming stopped, she was grateful at first, but then the cold silence settled around her and Anna seized her baby tighter. The almost year old child woke and looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

Hans opened the door. "Anna.."

She nearly jumped in her seat.

"He's awake. He's asking for you."

Anna stood up quick. "He is?"

Hans held the door open for her and she walked past him, completely ignoring him, heading across the hall to the other door. Opening it slowly, she peered in. Elsa had collapsed in a chair soon after she finished, exhausted from the overuse of her energy, especially with the baby.

Meinhard looked up from where he was covering Kristoff with a blanket. "Your grace, he's.."

The mountain man gestured to her husband.

Kristoff turned to face the door. "Anna!" He tried to sit up but fell back.

"Don't strain yourself." Meinhard pushed him back down.

"How are your legs?" Anna stepped mincingly toward him.

"Your sister used her magic to fix them."

"Fix them? _What was wrong with them_?" There was a hysterical note to her voice.

Kristoff lifted the blanket to reveal where his trousers had been torn to show his knee and the stump below, along with a lower leg and foot built out of ice. From what Anna could see, his other leg looked purple and swollen, but still completely whole. She covered her mouth in horror.

Kristoff looked to Elsa. "I owe her everything."

"Kristoff.."Anna began, but couldn't finish her thought, still speechless.

Hans walked slowly to Elsa, crouching beside the armchair. She didn't stir, so he picked her up gently in his arms, muttering softly under his breath. "I was right, of course, But does she listen to me? No." He looked to Anna and Kristoff. "I'm putting her to bed. You'll be alright without me?"

Meinhard stood up. "The worst is over, presumably. I think all you need to worry about is infection and healing, but that can wait." He got the door for his half brother, and shut it again.

"Should I leave you two alone then also?" He looked to Anna and Kristoff.

She nodded, touching her husband's face with her free hand, still cradling Gunter close to her bosom. "Please."


	22. Time marches on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't, have never, will never own anything to do with Frozen, and have not, will never, work at or for Disney. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Elsa woke with a jolt and a cry, sitting up.

Hans was beside her, smoothing back her hair. "Nightmare?"

She pushed him away with a sleepy hand. "No. What about Kristoff?"

"He's fine, Elsa. You did well."

She relaxed on her bed, looking up at him.

"Do you often collapse after healing someone?" Hans smirked at her, picking up her hand and examining her wrist where the bandages used to be. Her wrists had healed, with only a particularly slight scarring. It was nothing like a piercing from the thorns in his dream, just a scrape, like she had tripped and caught herself on one of the bars or in one of the stalls in the stables.

"If they're dying, I have to use up a lot of energy." She held his gaze, without flinching.

The smirk dropped from his face. "He was dying then?"

"Close to it." Elsa closed her eyes, still tired.

"Why did you save him then?" She didn't open her eyes. "He's almost family. He makes Anna happy."

"What about me?"

She opened her eyes a fraction, sitting up on her elbows. "What about you?"

"You saved my life, when I was sick. Why?"

"Do I even need to answer that?"

Hans leaned in. "I'd prefer it if you did."

Her hands slid up his chest, coming to rest above his heart. "After all, you wanted me dead before."

"Not when you were embroiled in fratricide, and I had to find out who did it."

"Did you?"

"Did I ever find out who killed your brothers?" Elsa shifted, sitting up a little more. "You wouldn't like the answer."

He scoffed, moving between her legs as he pulled her into his lap. "If it's anything like my idea of who, I'm sure I'd agree."

"Who then?"

"My mother."

Elsa shivered, shifting as closer to him as she could, given her stomach was in the way. "Yes.."

He looked down at her, placing his hands on the gentle swell. Hans smiled broadly when he felt the movement against his hand.

Elsa leaned back, her hands supporting her as they rested on the bed behind her.

He opened his mouth as if to speak, before just kissing her. Elsa made a soft sound of surprise into his mouth, and her fingertips dug into his chest but she didn't pull back when she was able to. Instead the queen touched his cheek and kissed him back.

Hans was beginning to lift her loose shift-like dress up over her head, revealing the cold skin beneath. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

She inhaled sharply as if to speak but only lifted her arms to let him undress her.

Hans kissed her throat, leaving red marks all down her neck that stood out against her stark skin.

"Hans.." Her tone held quite a bit of warmth for him, and he was surprised.

"Yes, darling light of my life?" The nickname was teasing, but not mocking the way it used to be when he said it.

"I... don't hate you as much as I say I do."

"I never would have guessed." His fingertips drew lower, around her breasts.

Elsa tensed, before relaxing as he touched her. "Is that acceptable to you? Having a child with someone who has no feelings for you?"

Hans eyebrow drew upward. "Why do I get the feeling it bothers you?"

He pinched her, and a soft moan escaped her lips before she could stop it.

"No feelings, hm?"

Elsa's eyes grew wide before they narrowed. "You can pleasure someone without them loving you."

"You're still a rotten liar, my love." Hans swept an arm around her and kissed her again. Elsa arched upward toward his touch, guiding his hand against her bared skin, goosebumps raising all over.

"Would you rather I stop then?" He grinned, sliding his hand lower along her stomach before working a finger between her legs.

She gasped loudly and grabbed at his wrist hard enough to hurt. "Wait."

He stopped, watching her expression. "Am I hurting you?"

"N-no.. I just.." Elsa bit her lip.

"Is something wrong?"

She met his gaze, before leaning in to kiss him. As she did so, Elsa pushed him down and climbed on top of him.

His hands flew to her hips as Elsa got comfortable. "Is this any better?"

Elsa kissed him again and ground down against his erection with her backside. "Much."

Hans' mouth was open as he bit back a cry, and Elsa kissed him again deeper. Biting down on his bottom lip, she tugged it with her teeth.

"Is this part of your plan to disfigure me for life?" Hans teased, hands at her waist.

"It's too late for that." Elsa teased, letting go of his lip.

"Are you implying that I'm ugly?" Hans squeezed her hips, pulling her down against him harder, and she opened her mouth in a silent oh, beginning to rock against him.

"W—Mnh—why should I imply when it's fact?"

"You're so cruel to me." Hans murmured as Elsa unlaced his trousers, and began stroking him. "You evil, evil — Ah! — woman!"

"I thought you loved me?" Elsa cooed, as she lowered herself onto him with a soft whimper.

Hans thrust upward hard, and she was rocked forward. "I do."

"Oh really now?" She unbuttoned his silk vest and shirt, running her fingers down his chest. "I don't believe you."

Hans gripped her hips tighter and flipped her over, effectively pinning Elsa against the bed.

She looked up at him, eyes half lidded.

"How about now?"He grinned down at her.

Elsa lay her hands on his shoulders. "Not proof enough."

He kissed her desperately, as if he was dying of thirst and she was the water he needed to survive. She eagerly reciprocated, running her fingers through his hair.

"Is that enough proof?"

Elsa gave him a coy look. "Maybe a little more couldn't hurt."

This time she kissed him, letting their mouths linger together for longer than necessary and he pulled back first, breathing hard. "Elsa.."

"What?" She met his gaze and held it.

He rocked into her carefully, not saying a word as he was going agonizingly slow, as if just to torment her.

She arched her back hard when he sunk into her to the hilt.

"I love you.." Hans uttered, automatically.

Her nails dug into his skin hard enough to mark him at those words. "H-Hans.."

He kissed her, as he began to move.

She scraped her nails down his flesh as she unthinkingly moved against him.

"Oh god, Elsa.."

The queen tossed her head back as she cried out, fingernails drawing blood on his shoulders. "Ah–! H-Hans! Yes — !"

They were moving slowly, starting to pick up speed, as their bodies moved in tandem, starting to grow more frenzied and losing rhythm.

Her hair was a complete mess, all over the place. But then again, so was his.

Elsa was completely lost to ecstasy, pulling him closer against her as if she never wanted him to leave her again. "Ha-Hans! Oh-!"

She kissed him, pulling the prince desperately against her, mumbling into his mouth something that sounded suspiciously quite a bit like "I love you," before she came, crying out against his lips.

Hans stopped, staring at her. "What?"

Elsa's chest was heaving, skin glistening.

It had begun to snow inside the bedroom, and it was sticking to her hair and eyelashes.

"Were you aware of what you just said?" He touched her cheek, lifting her face to his.

Elsa remembered, and the snow sticking to her skin melted from the heat radiating from her. "What did I say?"

"You love me, Elsa?"

Her eyes grew wide, knowing she was caught. "It was the passion of the moment. You can't hold me to that."

"Are you really denying what you feel?" 

"I.." He lifted her chin, kissing her again. She responded in kind, pulling him back in closer. "I guess I do."

 

"Can you move your leg?" Elsa was checking up on Kristoff's prosthetic ice foot.

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore, your grace."

Elsa smiled, and Anna squeezed his hand tight from beside him, looking torn, unsure whether to be happy her husband was fine, or upset that her sister inadvertently caused the accident. "I'm glad to hear it."

"It'll melt as soon as this cold weather is gone, so I found a way to keep your leg steady." Elsa concentrated, molding the ice as she created it into something that sparkled like gold. "I can't put you in a perpetual flurry like Olaf without any kind of damage happening to you," she spoke as she formed a crown made wholly of ice. "This should make sure it doesn't melt and leave you without a leg to stand on."

Anna smiled at the terrible joke despite herself. "Won't it melt too?"

Elsa placed it carefully on Kristoff's head and looked him over. "It's imbued with just enough of my power that it'll keep itself cold enough and keep whatever icy things are around it frozen too."

Kristoff touched it with his fingers. "It feels heavy."

"You'll get used to it, I think."

Anna squeezed her husband's hand tighter. "If it makes walking easier."

Kristoff lifted her hand to his lips."It will. I have faith in ice."

Anna sighed. "I just want you to be able to play with Gunter."

Kristoff kissed her hand again. "I'll be able to, I promise."

 

"How could you cause the snowstorm that took Kristoff's leg?!" Anna rounded on her sister, staring her in the face.

Elsa looked more confused than anything else. "I don't know, maybe it's this baby. I don't recall causing any out of season blizzards recently." She cradled her growing stomach in her hands, feeling the minuscule movements within. "I swear to you, I didn't mean to. If I did cause this."

"You almost killed him, Elsa! How could you say you didn't mean it?"

"I don't know, okay? If I did cause it, I had no idea I had."

Anna looked heartbroken. "Elsa.."

"I gave him a new, better leg, Anna. I gave him some of my powers. What else do you want me to do?"

She sighed and walked closer to her sister. "I know, whatever it is you caused, you're working to make up." Anna hugged her tightly.

Elsa squeezed her tight before she winced and looked down at her stomach, covering it with her free hand. "He's really energetic."

Anna flashed her sister a brief smile. "Gunter was the same way."

"Maybe it's a family trait." Elsa offered, hesitant.

Anna agreed quietly, before taking a deep breath and continuing, her voice getting softer with every word. "D-does Hans make you happy, Elsa?"

Taken aback, Elsa could only look at her sister for a long moment. "Does he make me happy? I.. I guess. He upsets me more often than not, but he's sweet and I really do think he's changed."

Anna relaxed visibly. "Kristoff told me Hans might not have even been in his right mind when he came here the first time."

Elsa was wringing her hands. "What do you mean?"

"I think he was being controlled by someone else. Kristoff didn't tell me who Hans had named."

Elsa shivered despite the warmth in the room. "I think I know who did it."


	23. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Frozen, and I did not work on Frozen. I have never and do not work for Disney in any way, shape or form. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

Hans knew something was wrong as soon as he went into the throne room.

He stopped short in the doorway, staring at his mother who wore a gauzy mourning gown and had a vast army of the castle guards about her. Now he knew where they all had gone. He knew Jekaterina was powerful, but this was impossible to foretell and defend against. She had captured the castle from the inside out.

All of the guards looked as if they had tar or something smeared across their now yellow eyes and mouths. It seemed to be dribbling from their ears too.

"Mother."

"Surprised to see me?" Jekaterina's lips spread like a predatory cat's, as she reclined on Elsa's throne.

"So it was you who froze Arendelle over again?"

"It was funny to see you automatically blame your wife, as if she was the only one powerful enough to do any of this." The Dowager tipped the gilded goblet to her lips delicately. "Do you know how guilty she feels for hurting her sister?"

"Why are you doing this?" Hans demanded, his voice more hysterical than he would have liked it at the mention of Elsa.

"Why?" She laughed, and the tainted guards all laughed with her in a cacophonous echo. It was a maddening sound and Hans covered his ears with his hands to block it out. The mirth was gone almost as fast as it had appeared, leaving behind an almost serene expression. "Seize him."

He unsheathed his sword, ready to fight them off but there were too many. He cut down one in a puff of smoke billowing upward and ten more took the guard's place. He was surrounded easily. They overtook him in a rush and soon he felt he couldn't breathe, the air around him was oppressive as he was overwhelmed by shadows thrown across him from the guards. The cold sunlight streaming in through the windows gave him no comfort as Hans was dragged to the dungeons, still struggling to breathe.

 

Elsa knew something was wrong when she heard the sound of fighting travel through the empty halls, rousing her from a dreamless sleep.

She got out of bed as fast as she could, and threw a dressing gown over her shoulders, tying it tight around her midsection. Fearing the worst, she hurried down the hall and stopped in the middle of the doorway, shocked and appalled.

"So the queen decided to join us." Jekaterina called out to her, voice over the top saccharine.

"Where's Hans? What did you do to him?"

Jekaterina only flashed her ruby inlaid incisor in a vicious grin in lieu of an answer, since she'd know soon enough.

She heard loud stomping down the hall behind her, and the tall blonde, Meinhard rushed in beside her at the ready to defend.

"So the savage decided to join our little get together." Jekaterina cooed, leaning forward and flashing a glimpse of her cleavage, skin a sickly blue gray like a rotting corpse's.

"You disgust me." He spat.

"Guards, seize the Queen." She said coldly, "And cut down this fiend where he stands."

Meinhard pulled a sword Elsa swore she had seen once before in a painting long ago out of the scabbard hanging from his hip, brandishing it to protect Elsa. "Just you try your best."

The guard's grip felt heavy and somehow unclean when they touched Elsa's skin. She shrugged them off as best she could, but one of them must have had a club or something because seconds later, she saw stars and then nothing.

 

Elsa awoke in a comfortable bed in a pitch black room, one that was familiar. The first thing she realized was that she was alone in the bed. The second thing was that she felt eyes on her.

"Do you know how precious you are to your husband?" The Dowager's voice rang out from nowhere in particular. Elsa was having trouble pinpointing the exact spot it was originating from until Jekaterina loomed closer to the bed.

She bit back a cry and almost fell backwards off the bed.

"Do you, child?" She stroked Elsa's cheek with a jagged fingernail. "He forsook his own country, just to get to you."

She turned away, disgusted when she realized the Dowager's nails were caked with dried gore.

"He could have ruled by my side over Arendelle and the Southern Isles after relieving himself of your company. I am still beautiful enough to keep his attention, am I not?"

When Elsa didn't answer, Jekaterina slapped her hard. Red scratches marked her face. They were definitely not as deep as Hans' scars and would pass soon enough, but for now it still hurt.

It was more of wounded pride and fear than actual pain that forced Elsa's hand. She hit the Dowager back, a swift punch to the mouth that was reinforced by some icy brass knuckles that had encrusted themselves on her fist in a split second of unrestrained anger. Her lips didn't bleed, despite the obvious tearing and damage done by the huge pointy crystals sprouting from Elsa's knuckles.

For a beat there was only eerie silence as the knowledge of what Elsa had just done sunk in. Then Jekaterina seemed to swell in rage, aiming to claw at Elsa's face. "You dare strike me?"

Some dam within the Queen broke and a burning anger rose within her, and she fought her off. "I should be saying the same to you! You horrid shrewish Jocasta! You offer your son to marry me under the pretense of an apology and he begins to actually care and you get jealous?!" She stood taller, rounding on the Dowager. A chilling wind began to blow in the enclosed space, whipping at Elsa's hair and both their skirts. However, the Queen stood strong despite, or perhaps, because of, it. If anything Jekaterina was being blown about by the stinging tornadic gust. "How dare you use him like a pawn just to use me too!"

"Did you allow your mind to be clouded by your emotions, child? Is that why your feeble attempts to rebuke me have come to this?" Jekaterina's eyes were blazing with an unholy madness. She waved her hand in a drunken chopping motion, leaning in and taking a threatening step forward.

A brittle pain seared up Elsa's chest. The queen collapsed, grasping at her bosom as if to stop it. Jekaterina leered over her, and Elsa held up her hands to fend her off, struggling against the torrential agony coursing through her heart. "This is what love feels like."

Elsa cried out. White hot tears pricked at her eyes and she shook her head. "Th-that's not love..."

The burning pain grew as Jekaterina pressed closer. Her nails had lengthened through supernatural means. Elsa was near powerless against her, but she did have one last resource. Opening her mouth to scream for her sister, Elsa could barely get the words out. They died in her throat, scorching hot air roasting her lungs and making it impossible for her to speak.

"Cat got your tongue?" The dowager held Elsa's chin in the palm of her hand, keeping her gaze almost lovingly.

The inside of Elsa's mouth felt dry, and the anguished burning spread throughout her body. The Queen's protective hands flew to her stomach, where the baby was shifting wildly in response to its mother's pain.

Shutting her eyes tight, Elsa was relieved when the heat stopped spreading about her midsection, as if the presence of her child was negating it. The immense burning soon began to dissipate, the cool relief emanating from the child inside her. Elsa opened her eyes back up again, carefully.

"You underestimated me." She managed to choke out, voice still not loud enough to call for help.

"Did I?" Jekaterina asked, coquettish in the way she put her finger to the corner of her mouth, pausing in mocking thought. "Perhaps I should tear the bastard from your belly and crush him underfoot so he doesn't interfere."

"You wouldn't dare." Elsa hostilely bared her teeth like some kind of animal when the Dowager ran her razor sharp fingernails down her dress to her stomach, choking out her words as they stuck in her throat.

"Wouldn't I?" Her nails cut through the fabric of her dressing gown and the shift beneath as if it were nothing. She barely nicked the skin, but Elsa inhaled sharply, wheeling away from her touch.

The wind began to pick up again, howling and rattling the windows. The sound was sure to have woken Anna or Kristoff up, but there was no sign they stirred at all. It was a troubling thought that occurred to Elsa. She better not have hurt Anna. The Queen didn't know this, but Jekaterina had bewitched Anna and Kristoff to sleep forever, or until the spell wore off, which would only be after she died.

 

Meinhard had, in fact, somehow luckily managed to escape certain death, blindly swinging his long sword at the guards that dripped liquid shadows and darting down the stairs to the dungeon where he assumed they'd taken his half brother. The guards didn't follow. Presumably they were put off by the cold of the lichen covered walls, or it could have been the way the staircase spiraled into pure darkness. Either way, Meinhard had a pilfered lantern to guide his footsteps.

Hans must have seen the light, or heard Meinhard curse as he almost took a tumble down the last three uneven stairs, because there was a shout from one of the cells and then a rattling of chains from within.

The mountain man turned to the door, and tried it, finding it locked. The lock itself was old and looked rusted. He could probably break through it if he tried.

"I'm sick of this damned place." Hans bemoaned through the bars in the tiny window on the door, rattling the chains securing his wrists to the walls.

"Hold on a moment." Meinhard set down the lantern and began to attempt to kick the door down. In three tries it gave way easily. The wood had rotted near completely through in the middle.

Hans couldn't even stand up, such was the length of the chains holding him to the walls. He was seated uncomfortably on the freezing ground. "I'd prefer it if you could get me out of these."

He looked the shackles over, before whacking at them with the flat side of his sword. Sparks flew and one of the shackles just fell apart like rice paper. "Easy as that."

Hans stared at him. "I've been tugging at these all day. You couldn't possibly have just done that in one go."

"I carry ice as heavy as you are for a living, little brother, if you've forgotten."

That shut him up right quick. "Just do the other arm please. Before I lose some more appendages. I'm rather attached to these."

"No promises." He grunted, swinging his sword at full strength, narrowly missing Hans' wrist. The other shackle split like butter.

The prince yelped and jerked away, pulling out of the destroyed chains.

"There you are, brother. Good as new."

Hans was rubbing his wrists where the fetters had cut into the tender skin. "Where did you get that sword anyway? It looks ancient."

Meinhard looked down at the sword with an absurd sense of pride, it's kitschy pommel inlaid with lapis lazuli. "Borrowed this little bastard from your wife's family mausoleum. Had Niklaus bless it too."

Hans gawped at his brother. "You.. What."

"Nothing like the weapons of the dead to defeat something that can't die."

He shook his head. "You are absolutely insane."

"I just rescued you from a frigid death sentence. Act more grateful."

Hans sneered at him while he wasn't looking, sticking his tongue out like a child.

"How about I chop your most important appendage off next, brother?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

He swung at Hans' head, narrowly missing by a hair.

The prince must have guessed he would have attempted to hit something else because he lifted his knee to protect his groin. "Remind me again why I'm trusting you." He grit out through his tightly clenched teeth.

"Looks like you think more with the head between your legs, little brother." Meinhard laughed.

Hans shoved him, minding the blade held between them.

"Do you think I'd let my baby brother rot in some cell while his bitch mother tries to murder his beautiful wife?"

"What did you just say?" The blood drained from his face. "She's going to what—"

"Calm yourself. Elsa can handle it."

"She's pregnant, you bastard! I'm not a coward like you. I need to help her!"

"Oh now that is rich, baby brother." Meinhard had sheathed the sword on his back. "Darja was no Elsa."

Hans stared at him for a long moment, completely silent.

"While you're dawdling with me, your whore of a mother could be gutting your bride as we speak." Meinhard mussed his hair as he walked past him out of the dungeons and back up those precarious stairs.

Hans followed after, anxious to be out of the dungeon, grabbing the lantern.

The castle seemed to be deserted. Even the guards which populated it only a few minutes before seemed to vanish.

While the men were left wondering where everyone had vanished to, a piercing scream echoed through the castle. It was most definitely not a human cry, and it sent a shock wave through the both of them. Broken glass exploded through the air as the windows shattered around them. They were pelted with it.

Hans cried out softly when a large piece of glass sent careening toward him cut a long slit down his face across one eye, severing right through the three gouges scarred into his face. He pressed both hands to his eye, as blood began streaming out of the gash.

Meinhard stopped in front of him, tearing a piece of cloth from the prince's simple cotton shirt.

"Move your hands, let me see." He spoke tenderly, like a parent, and hm-ed quietly at the damage, before tying the makeshift bandage over his eye. "This should stop the bleeding."

Hans touched the wrapping gingerly with his fingertips.

"You'll be fine. Let's go rescue your queen."

They peered out the window, and smoke was filling the sky. "They're on the roof." Hans muttered.

"Let's go then, or is your lack of depth perception going to be a liability?"

"Shut up." Hans hissed, wedging his way out of the window and climbing up the shingles, Meinhard following close behind him. It was difficult and he almost lost his grip twice because of the swirling winds buffeting the castle. He could see Elsa at the top of the roof, but Jekaterina was nowhere to be found.

But then he saw it. A great crimson scaled beast with smoke billowing from it's snout. A forked tongue flicked at the air and it turned its burning gray eye toward Hans, moving independently from its head. He very nearly fell back off of the building in horror.

"Elsa!" Hans yelled to his bride. She was fending off the monstrous scaled abomination with a sword made solely of an icicle. Her dress was torn, and she looked as if she was crying but she stood her ground.

Elsa was positioned, balanced, her back against a steeple. Her hair had come free of its braid and it was whipping about her face in the gale. Meinhard was right. She was more than capable of holding her own.

"Leave her alone!" Hans ran at the dragon to distract it as soon as he gained good footing on the roof.

"I don't think so." Jekaterina's voice was booming as it issued forth from the massive lizard's mouth. She lifted a great claw and pinned Hans down with it, pressing on him with the intention to crush and suffocate him.

Both Elsa and Meinhard ran forward at once to protect Hans. The mountain man was knocked to the side by her tail, scrabbling at the roof with his fingers, knocking some shingles free to drop the entire height of the castle and shatter on the streets below, a plume of steam pouring from the dragon's nostrils. Elsa was more lucky. Her blows landed; the ice punctured her scales and scalding steam burst forth, causing Elsa to pull back and almost lose her footing as well. She caught herself, but not before Hans screamed her name, afraid she would plummet to the cobblestones below.

"Elsa, if I die, tell everyone of what my mother did! Tell them about my brothers. And my father! Tell them!"

"Yes, I did it! I'll admit it! I killed your brothers! All of them! They were so beautiful when they drowned in the emerald depths.."The Dowager beast called madly, her laughter sounding like coughs.

"You bitch! You monster!" Meinhard meant to run at her in a fury, but he couldn't without losing his footing, screaming into the wind.

Jekaterina must have intended for him to fall to his doom because she was enraged to see the mountain man still standing. She took it out on Hans, however, and he cried out from the pressure about to snap his ribs. "Diederik too. He was dead before he ever hit the water. His blood was so warm and delicious. I was hoping you would be the same when I seduced you the way I took Diederik, my darling son."

"You filthy bitch!" Meinhard ran at her, furious. He attacked her claws with the sword. "He was my twin!"

Jekaterina fixed him with an emotionless look out of her lidless eyes, her voice a snarl. "Meinhard. The prodigal son returns."

She gave him a demonic smile and released Hans to try to snatch up the mountain man instead. He dove and weaved around her legs, helping his half brother up in the process.

The Dowager blew fire at them, greasy unclean flames catching on the rooftop around them. If anything the wind only made them reach higher.  
Soot was searing the air, and Hans was sweating as he dodged the flames, feeling like he could barely breathe, the wind knocked out of him, rushing to Elsa.

She grabbed at him with both hands. "What happened to your face?!"

"That can wait. I'm alright. Let's focus on getting rid of this monster." He covered her hand with one of his own, before releasing her, glad of the little respite as his brother fought the dragon that once was his mother.

"And here I thought you were dead!" Jekaterina was taunting Meinhard. "Perhaps I could send you back to your precious whore and your little bastard."

"You have no right to even talk of her!" Meinhard spat blood, and the dragon blew more fire his direction. He dodged it, barely.

Almost sliding off the edge of the roof, Meinhard dangled. Hans released Elsa's arms and ran to his brother's aid. Pulling him up, he looked to the sword still in his hand. "Let's do this. Together."

Jekaterina had turned her attention to Elsa, approaching her with the intent to roast her alive. "And you, little slattern. You stole him from me!"

Elsa swung at the dragon's snout with the jagged edge of her icicle blade. It didn't seem to do much damage, except for where it had cut shallowly into the soft unprotected flesh of Jekaterina's face, black goop leaking from her wounds, and looking like running make up.

Meinhard and Hans crept beneath the dragon's pale underside, to where they were sure her heart must have been. It was protected by rubies inlaid deep into her scaly skin.

"We can get through it if we work together."

Hans gripped the handle with both hands, and so did Meinhard. "Ready, brother?"

"Ready!"

In one concentrated effort, they pierced the largest the crystal they could see her blackened heart as the ruby shattered into many little pieces.

Jekaterina shrieked and seemed to deflate rapidly. Instead of blood, a tarry substance was leaking from where the ruby had cracked open.

Whatever soul she had was lost to the darkness that had consumed her in exchange for her unholy powers, and the Light had faded from her eyes.

Hans released the sword as soon as the burning black muck began to splatter their hands and it clattered off the roof and sailed through the air until it hit the ground below.

The wind began to die down as he made his way to Elsa, who was still clutching her icicle dagger. He pulled her tight against him. She was trembling. The dagger melted in her hand and she clawed at his shoulders, still in shock.

"Looks like I owe you again for saving my life."

"I think it's evened out by now." She finally managed to say, teeth chattering as she shook, before she kissed him carefully.

Meinhard was breathing fast. "Sorry to interrupt the celebration, but we should go back inside before we fall off the roof and die."

"So cheerful, my brother." Hans teased, looking to Meinhard. The mountain man made a movement as if to shove him but pulled back at the last second, in retaliation.

Anna was waiting for them, having awoken as if from a long restful nap. She yawned. "What happened? You guys look like you were just in a battle."

Elsa couldn't help but start to laugh, the relief too much to hold inside.

Hans squeezed her hand, and that was when she really knew she could do this marriage thing, and this family thing. She squeezed back, and he lifted her fingers to his lips, closing the one eye uncovered. A warm feeling rose in her chest, and she smiled at him. That was when Hans knew it was all worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> Jocasta was Oedipus' wife and mother. From Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus The King in Latin, by Sophocles.


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I did not work on Frozen, do not own Frozen, have not ever worked for Disney, nor do I work there now. This is a not for profit fanwork. Thank you for reading.

"Can we build a snowman, mummy? Please?" The tiny redhead pulled her mother by the hand to the main atrium of the castle.

"Darling, we need to wait for your father. He'll be home soon, and then we can build a snowman."

Petra pouted. She didn't like when Papa had to leave for what Mummy called "king business". He would be gone for weeks at a time, and it was boring in the castle without him. Gunter always wanted to play sword fights but he would cry whenever she beat him at that game. Mummy would scold her, but Petra knew she was proud by the way she smiled secretly.

She hardly ever got to see her Papa since he was always traveling, but he wrote her letters all the time. Mummy would read them to her. The newest one said Papa would be coming home within days. But it still wasn't soon enough for Petra.

"Please, mummy. Can we make it just snow then? Show me how to do the trick again."

"Oh alright.." Elsa conceded, taking her daughter's hands gingerly in her own, all of their palms up. A few sparkling snowflakes began to flutter from their outstretched hands.

Petra's eyes grew wide. "Wow."

"Now watch this." The snow flew upwards, settling for a moment in midair before multiplying and beginning to fall sedately down in a peaceful flurry.

Petra shrieked and ran to catch the snowflakes on her tongue.

Her mother let a smile pass her lips, not hearing the big door open behind her. She was too distracted, watching her child to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. Two strong arms, still frosty from the mid-fall chill, enveloped her around the waist from behind.

Elsa let out a gasp, before looking over her shoulder. "Hans! Don't startle me like that!"

"Papa!" Petra cried in excitement, running to her father and squeezing his legs. "You're home! You're home!"

"Yes, I am, sweetheart." He picked her up and hugged her close.

The five year old squished her cheek against his bristly one. "Your face is cold."

Hans chuckled. "Hug me tighter so I'll warm up then." Holding the child in one arm, he offered the other arm to Elsa. She allowed him to pull her into a tight embrace beside their sweet baby girl.

"Mummy says we could make a snowman when you got home."

"Did she now?" Hans looked at his wife over the top of Petra's head, his good eye focused on her expression. He'd lost the other in the battle against Jekaterina, and now, five years later, he's gotten used to it.

"Are you going to make a snowman with your daughter or not?" She said, a thin smile crossing her lips, like she was trying not to show how happy she was. It wasn't working; her lips twitched and she cracked a wider grin.

"Do I get a welcome home kiss then?" He held her gaze. Elsa pressed her lips together firmly, before giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Still haven't gotten used to such a beautiful woman kissing me."

Elsa smirked. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"I beg to differ. Right, Petra darling?" He turned to their daughter, shifting her so she faced them. "Tell your mama how pretty she is and she'll make a snowman with us."

"Don't drag her into this, Hans." Elsa's voice was exasperated but still joking and good natured.

"Mummy, you're bee-yootiful. Can we make a snowman now?"

She shook her head and laughed quietly, as Hans put Petra down. "Fine, fine. C'mon, honey, let's make the best snowman ever."

They rolled the snowman's body the old fashioned way, instead of using Elsa's powers to construct it. Hans supplied the head, and Petra placed a carrot she pilfered from the kitchen as the nose.

When it was all done, Elsa crouched beside her daughter. "It's your turn to learn how to control your powers."

She took Petra's tiny hands in her own, and showed her how to direct her energy toward making snow. "If you try hard enough, you can even make the snowman come to life."

Petra looked up at her with giant periwinkle blue eyes, in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yes, darling. Now you try it."

"Don't ever be afraid of your powers." Hans added, softly, as he crouched beside the two of them. "No matter what anyone else says."

She fixed him with a trusting look. "Yes, Papa."

"That's my girl." He mussed the child's hair.

Petra concentrated hard, shutting her eyes tight.

There was silence, and then:

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs."

"Olaf?" she shrieked, opening her eyes, running at the snowman at full speed. "Olaf!" Hugging him tight, Petra squealed. "Mummy, he's real!"

"I know, darling, I know." Elsa leaned back, resting her back against Hans' chest.

Petra was too busy playing with and inspecting the loudly chattering snowman to notice her parents taking a break.

"I love you, you know.." Elsa's voice was soft, as she glanced at him over her shoulder.

"Oh really?" Hans teased to cover up how surprised he was by the statement.

"Yes. Don't make me take it back now." Elsa teased back at him, as he took her hand in his.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Hans kissed her fingertips.

"Right." She looked up at him after a moment of silence, touching his scarred cheek with a fingertip.

He covered her hand with his own. "I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Oh my god, I never thought so many people would like my writing. Thank you, all of you. Your appreciation is what keeps me going. I love all of the readers and fans. Thank you all so very much. This is the first fic I've actually finished since '09, so it's an emotional thing for me, and I just can't believe how many people like my stuff. All of you are awesome.**

**Author's Note:**

> Um, thanks for reading, guys? I realize its quite short, but I am writing this as a warm up for other fics. So, please, be patient if its too short for you.


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